


The Break of Dawn

by CrazyBoneLady



Series: Arcstrider & Gunslinger [2]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: And angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Hive, Mind Manipulation, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, SO MUCH FLUFF, Wizards, adding more tags as I go, how does tagging work, writer likes to torture muses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-02-13 03:55:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12975351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyBoneLady/pseuds/CrazyBoneLady
Summary: After everything seemed peaceful for a while, Nevia thought she could live her usual guardian life, doing her patrols and live along side those, she called family and friends. Demons of her past come to haunt her and announce something far worse and darker, than she could have imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go again? I sat down and started writing this. This goes without a beta, we die like men.
> 
> I basically just wanted to write Nevia's story down, her life as a guardian, with her friends and Cayde, in the time between both games. I couldn't settle for simply doing that.. I had to throw her and her companions into some shit. ^^
> 
> The next 2 Chapters are already written and will be up in 2 - 3 days.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr: http://shaken-veil.tumblr.com/
> 
> Enjoy,  
> Jules.

~~~~~  
Cause we are crazy ones  
The badass, outcast  
Son of a guns  
We march to the beat of a different drum  
We are the crazy ones

Stellar Revival - The Crazy Ones  
~~~~~

The 123’th floor of the tower usually was very silent, until later in the morning and the guardians living here were leaving their apartments. Three fireteams had their homes here. 

It was the apartment on the far left, which suddenly, at 6:00am in the morning, exploded into the chaos of screams and three shots, followed by loud shattering sounds, curses and various other insults. Three male voices, two of them Exo and one normal, another additional female one, the last the loudest of them all. 

“Are you crazy? You keep your gun in the nightstand at my bed?!” Nevia gestured towards the handcannon, that Cayde was trying to hide behind his back. “I know, Enzo is a creepy piece of shit, but that was not needed! You nearly destroyed my room! I have holes in my wall!”

“Your crazy Warlock was standing right above my face.” The hunter vanguard gestured wildly over his face. “This face.” 

“Rude!”, Lorenzo called, rather upset, out of the kitchen, only across the corridor. He ran, after Cayde had jumped up.

“See! He doesn’t even know, what he did wrong! He doesn’t even.. He… UGH!” Cayde threw his hands up in the air, giving up the discussions. “I need coffee. And breakfast. I’m not thinking right without either. Got that? Yes? Wonderful.” The Exo walked out of Nevia’s bedroom. She threw over the hoodie, she had left at the side of her bed the evening before and rubbed her bright, awoken eyes.

It had been so nice.. For the time in the tower at least. Nevia preferred to stay in the wilds mostly. Sleeping under the stars had something soothing for her and maybe was a bit of an adrenalin kick, too, since she was mostly surrounded by enemy forces, who had no idea, that she was hiding near them. 

If the huntress didn’t stay in the wilderness, she mostly remained at Cayde’s place. It was just so much more private, than her own, with her two fireteam-roommates. Nevia wasn’t a people person and all the fame around herself over the last years, thanks to her friend Siobhan, had taken a lot of her patience and ended up in her often running off with only Cayde knowing, where she went. 

Nevia made her way out of the room and decided to completely ignore the bickering, which was going on in the kitchen. She heard Echo’s deep, rumbling, mechanical voice. He probably tried to get Cayde and Enzo off each other’s backs. Would these two ever get along? Wishful thinking maybe.. But they both had to deal with the other in her life. Enzo was at her side, since her first days as a guardian. This weird warlock somehow had made his way into her heart and it didn’t matter how strange his interests and hobbies were, if shit hit the fan, she could always count on his support. When they both stumbled over Echo-L13, this big Exo-Titan, their fireteam felt complete. It just clicked between them and they had been through so much together. 

Memories of Crota and Oryx flooded her mind.. Even if the other two only were with her in the Hellmouth, she had defeated Oryx alongside Siobhan’s. She would have been lost without either of them. It would have eaten her alive, sucking the light out of her and Chia’s body. Her little ghost still felt incredible guilty, because she couldn’t help her, as much as she wanted. Unconsciously, the huntress reached to her lower stomach. The Taken King’s blade had ripped her skin open, slicing through her body and mind at the same time. 

While her thoughts wandered a dark path, Nevia didn’t notice, that she had been frozen in place, her hands were shaking and her breath rushed out of her mouth too fast. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed a hand against the wall, keeping the balance. There was no lying to herself and say, that the last years didn’t have an effect on her mind and emotions. Nightmares haunted her dreams and once memories surfaced themselves, she just froze in place sometimes. It was really bothering, especially out on patrols. Nevia didn’t take her mental health seriously, no matter how hard Ikora tried to help her. 

She sighed once and shook her head, glad nobody of the others noticed her zoning out, they would just be worried. Quickly, Nevia slipped into the bathroom and cleaned herself up. A hot shower cleared out a lot of problems, yes? 

Once done, she wrapped a towel around her body, cut down the stubble on her head, still avoiding the look into the mirror, knowing very well, that she looked horribly tired and slipped through the corridor back to her own room to get dressed. A big closet in the corner, locked, held her armor sets. Two, to be accurate. Her Crucible-set, or maybe Iron Banner-set? Much to Shaxx’s disliking, had been a reward for her accomplishments in Lord Saladin’s competition. Though for usual mission, she always wore her other one. Dark blue and black. The most outstanding detail though, where the bones on the right sleeve. They were special.. 

Nevia’s fingers carefully wandered along the smooth, pale texture and it felt like these bones had their own presence. A low hum of energy at the very edges of her mind, asking gently for entry, caressing more like a lovers touch and it sent shivers down her spine. Before getting lost, she pulled her fingers away. These were the bones of a young Ahamkara. The majestic, dragonlike creatures, which appeared with the Traveller and were hunted down merciless for reasons, she could not explain to herself. What she would give to see one of them.. alive and well. 

Sometimes, when she was out in the wilds, hunting down enemies, doing patrols, there was this feeling of eyes, staring at her from a realm beyond, though every time she turned around, they were gone. 

Nevia took a deep breath and started to dress herself. It took a good while to get everything in place, making herself presentable. Nevia had to get out of the tower, even if it was just for some patrols, maybe she could convince one of her boys to accompany her… or maybe not.. Some time alone would do her some good, keeping her head clear.. 

Returning to the kitchen, she found the others settled down for coffee, eating breakfast and scrolling through holopads. At least the fight was over. She walked fully into the room and picked up a mug from the cupboard, filling it with hot, wonderful smelling, dark life-juice. 

“You look ready to go.” Cayde looked her over, shoving a piece of donut into his mouth. It still amazed her, that he could just eat and drink like that? 

“You intend to leave? Didn’t you just arrived, basically?” Echo’s red, artificial eyes regarded her with a curious glance, while she sat down next to the other Exo in their little group. Nevia stole the rest of Cayde’s donut and quickly ate it, before he could protest. 

“Hey! I wanted to eat that!” 

“Well, now I got it.” She turned her attention to Echo and shrugged. “You know me. Can’t stay long in one place.. I feel better outside of the wall.”

Her companion seemed to be satisfied with that answer. He knew, that if they needed her, they could always contact her, she wouldn’t refuse to help them. Never. 

“There are some patrols on the moon, that need to be done. Even with Crota and Oryx dead, nobody likes going there, but we need to know how the situation with the Hive is.” Cayde put down his datapad and gestured around, like he always did. Talking with hands and feet, some would say. “Ikora is worried that the Hive and the Taken run havoc, now that they are without a leader. Not that it would been better, if Mr. big grumpy ass would still be alive.” 

Nevia looked at him blankly. The moon? Basically that wouldn’t be a problem. It should be an easy opportunity to get out of here, but the memories of this place.. She just snapped out of it, when she felt a warm hand on her leg, realising she had been staring again. Cayde leaned a bit closer, his optics narrowing. 

“You don’t have to go, you know that, yes? I can send someone else, you might as well go to old russia or check the edges of the EDZ.” He nearly sounded, like he felt bad for offering these patrols to her, but Nevia wasn’t someone to refuse a challenge, even if it was just challenging her mind. ‘Just’ her mind. 

“No. I’m going. I shouldn’t be out too long.” The huntress gave him a soft smile and finished her coffee in one go, getting up and dropping the empty mug into the sink. “Hey, Echo. Want to jump into the Crucible tonight?”

“Sure, Nev. I see you later then.” 

As if this was his word to get up, Cayde jumped off the chair, of course he left everything where it was, much to Echo’s dismay, and followed Nevia to the corridor. She looked him over with a slight frown on her forehead. “When did you dress yourself?”

“While you were showering. I’m coming with you. Maybe I’ll be in time for the Vanguard meeting for once.” He took his hand cannon from one of the shelves, where everyone placed their weapons, and pushed it into the holster on his leg. Nevia did the same thing, taking her own hand weapon and her auto rifle. First placed at her hip and the second strapped to her back. 

“What would you do without me?”, she teased lightly and brushed a small spot of chocolate from his jaw with her thumb. Cayde caught her wrist and titled his head to the side, nuzzling into her palm for a moment. 

“I would be utterly lost.”, he replied, with a dramatic tone in his voice, which made her laugh quietly. 

“Come on, Romeo, let’s leave, before we are really late..” 

This early in the morning, the corridors of the tower were still rather empty. Only a few early souls crossed paths with them, every single one of them more looking like a Thrall with a hangover. A very amusing sight. The two hunters walked in silence next to each other for a while, pretty rare, because Cayde usually chatted happily along, with her listening and it was also him, who spoke up, after they just passed a tired, human Titan. 

“Nevia, you don’t have to play strong in front of me.. I understand, what you are going through.” Everyone knew him only as a joker, the only relaxed part of the Vanguard, always in a good mood, sassy and teasing, but Nevia knew what was underneath that. He never told her his full story and she wouldn’t push him about it, but she saw the pain, he had experienced in his life. 

“I am not, don’t worry about me.” Just as she said those words, her ghost Chia materialised herself next to her shoulder, completely synched up with Cayde’s own robot-companion, who gave some chirping noises. 

“She is lying.” Chia’s cheery tone made Nevia frown. Privacy was a thing, which her ghost had yet to learn, though she wasn’t sure if that ever would come to pass. She could feel Cayde’s gaze on her, he shouldn’t be the one to judge, if he did the same thing over and over again.. But he opened at least up to her. She sighed.. 

“Can we talk about this some other time? Maybe when I am not heading out into this hell hole called ‘Moon’?” Her bright eyes focussed his artificial ones and he nodded. 

“If that’s what you want.” 

The huntress smiled a bit, maybe even apologetic, as she reached for his hand and gave it a small squeeze. “Ready?”

“Am I ever?”, he replied, with a bit of a smug tone in his voice.

Zavala and Ikora were caught up in their own work, both faces buried in papers. Nevia turned to Cayde and pressed her lips to his jaw. She ignored the fact, that he tried to pull her back, when she attempted to walk over to Ikora, shaking her hand free and approaching the Warlock Vanguard. From now on, Cayde and Nevia were working together again, leaving their private relationship behind. 

“Ikora.”, she greeted the other woman, who looked up and gave the huntress a gentle smile. It fell rather quickly, once she got a good impression of her face. Ikora raised one hand and examined Nevia’s eyes with a critical glance. 

“You look exhausted, Nevia. How was your sleep?” She had such warm eyes, it was hard to lie directly into her face.. 

“Her sleep was fine, until her crazy Warlock friend scared the shit out of me.”, Cayde added, while he was piling up his reports. Nevia smiled, she knew how much he hated paperwork. 

“He was curious and you started screaming and shooting, don’t forget to repair the holes in my wall.” Though their small banter didn’t seem to relax Ikora. The frown on her forehead only grew deeper. The try to distract her from the Arcstrider’s mental issues failed horribly. Who could trick Ikora Rey? Probably nobody.. 

“We were surprised to hear so many noises this early in the morning.” Zavala’s deep voice emerged from the other side of the table. The Titan only lifted his eyes for a moment and then returned to work. Nevia and Zavala mostly stayed professional, after she yelled at him several times for being a complete jerk. He wasn’t a bad guy, actually very caring about his people and everyone around, gentle and patient, but he drove her insane. So she kept her distance and trusted his abilities, not to mess her patrols and missions up. 

“You are going to the moon?” 

Nevia blinked at Ikora. Where did she get that information from? Ah, better not asking those kind of questions. This woman had her eyes everywhere. 

“Yes. Some patrols need to be done and no one wants to set a foot on there. So I guess, it’ll do.. I need to get out of this tower.” She rubbed over the short stubble on her head, shifting from one foot to another, growing a bit anxious under the Warlock’s gaze. 

“Be careful.”, was all she said and turned back to her work. Nevia looked over to Cayde, who just shrugged and did the same. 

“Hunter.. A word.” The Commander gestured for her to follow him and she hurried to do so. Letting Zavala wait, it is something nobody would do voluntary. Which didn’t mean it made her less uncomfortable, being alone with the Titan Vanguard. He put his hands behind his back and eyes, similar to hers, maybe not as bright, focussed the big window front, while she waited for him to speak up. “The moon is still crawling with Hive and we have no idea, what actually is out there. We have no eyes on this place.” 

“This exactly is the reason why I will head out as soon as possible….” A sharp pinch in her temple made Nevia flinch and she felt watched, hunted even. She turned around, eyes wide. There was something…. Was she just imagining this? A whisper? Maybe. A small movement in the corner of her sight. 

“... Guardian? Hunter! Are you listening to me?” 

Zavala ripped her out of her thoughts and the huntress stared at the Titan. “Yes? What?”

“Everything alright?” 

“Yes… I’m sorry, Commander.. I.. should head out.” She gave him a small, faint smile and turned around, leaving the Vanguard Hall with hurried steps, almost running. This was not good, not at all. She had to focus on these patrols. A moment of weakness out on the moon, and she could end up in one of the Hive’s rituals. She really didn’t want to be ripped apart by a Wizard.. 

Chia appeared next to her shoulder, she had been hiding in her hood, while she talked to the Vanguard. “You look pale, Nevia.” Though the guardian in question just raised one hand to silence her ghost and she thanked the stars for it. She had to get on her ship and leave, feeling like she was suffocating. 

Ignoring everyone in the hangar and leaving it felt like a heavy weight was pulled off her chest. Nevia could breath again freely, leaning back into the seat, while Chia took over the Ship. Her communication channel was already bombarded by messages.. Mostly by a worried Exo hunter. Nevia felt bad, that she didn’t even give him a second glance, when she ran away.. She would talk to him, once she was back at the tower.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nevia leaves for a patrol on the moon and has to deal with some demons of her past, being not so sure anymore, if it was the best choice to go there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone here and on Tumblr, who gave me amazing feedback and encourage me everytime anew! I have to add, that you might find some grammar mistakes in here. English is only my second language. ^^
> 
> As usual you can find me on tumblr, come and talk to me, if you want. I don't bite.. only if you ask me to. 
> 
> http://shaken-veil.tumblr.com/
> 
> Enjoy,  
> Jules.

~~~~~  
I’ll tell you when it’s over, just close your eyes.  
I’m always watching over your earth and skies.

JT Music - Legend  
~~~~~

“I don’t like this, Nevia. You are already struggling with the memories of this place and now you want to fly right into it again?” Chia hovered over her shoulder, as they approached the surface of the moon. The Ocean of Storms spreads out underneath their ship, the very same field, where once thousands of guardians died their final deaths. Nevia had avenged them all.. Eventually. Maybe it was to the price of her own mind, that she saved the day so many times. She had taken Ikora’s advice to heart and took some time off.. A long time, actually, but it didn’t do her any good. Being stuck in the tower made her insane. 

“Someone has to do it. You know that, as well as I do. We need to know how the situation is here.” Her eyes wandered over the grey surface and she felt her heart beat heavy in her chest. “How bad can it be with Crota and Oryx gone?” 

“We don’t know how far the Hive have spread in the meantime. They are without focus and guidance. Who knows, what could happen down there? Nevia, let’s go back home..” Her ghost was worried, she could tell. Just like Cayde..

The thought of the Exo hunter back at the tower made her sigh. She had been unfair to him and they really had to talk about her mental condition, but she was scared, that he would just push her into a therapy, or away entirely.. 

Why was she even thinking like this? He would never make her do anything, that she didn’t want to.. 

“Dropzone ahead, Nevia. Ready?” Chia peaked up next to her, her artificial eye moving quickly, scanning her guardian’s face. The huntress just nodded and let her ghost take over the controls of the ship, while she strapped her weapons to her armor, waiting for the transmat. 

The moon’s surface was cold, dire and empty, as she remembered it. The worst about it was the silence, though. A shiver ran down her spine and she felt, like she was being watched. Nevia reached for her auto rifle and held it close to herself, as she started walking. The paths, made by the people of the golden age, were barely visible but a trained eye could make them out, if one bothered to look close enough. She didn’t dare to use her sparrow, not wanting to wake up the Hive, which were probably directly underneath her feet…

Directly.. Underneath her feet..

She stopped dead in her tracks and looked around, a bit more hectic than before. Chia materialised next to her. Was she talking to her? There was this humming in the back of her head. It soothed her nerves drastically, but seemed to shut everything out. Nevia closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. 

“Nevia? Nevia! Are you even listening to me?” 

The light of Chia’s eye made her blink and caused her to focus again on her companion. “I.. I’m sorry, Chia. What did you say? I zoned out for a second.”

“That’s what I thought. Going on this patrol was a stupid idea, why did you do this? Cayde is going to have my head, if something happens to you.. Are you alright? You are not injured, what happened?” The little ghost circled her and even without not really having expressions on a face, she could tell that Chia was worried sick. 

“I don’t know. Maybe I should have slept some more… So much action this morning…” She shook her head and continued her patrol. Not a single sound.. And it was unnerving. The last time, she sat foot on the Moon, she was with 5 others. Enzo and Echo were by her side that day. “So, What does the Vanguard need?”

“Typical scouting patrol. Figure out how the Hive activity is on the surface and, if possible, checking some of the tunnels, which are not too far underground…. Nevia… I have 10 messages from Cayde waiting on your comm. Maybe you should consider contacting him?.. I’m sure, he is just worried…”

“Can we discuss this, when we’re not in hostile territory? I would rather not wake the Hive, because my boyfriend thinks, he has to discuss our relationship exactly now.”, Nevia hissed and examined their surroundings. Nothing. Good. Careful, she moved along the small path, ducking behind a rock, eyes on the entrance to the Hellmouth. Two Knights were guarding it. She would be able to fight them, but that would startle the rest of the fortress. Not so wise…

“Maybe we are more lucky somewhere else? There are several tunnel entrances around here.”, Chia’s voice came from the back of her neck, where her ghost usually hid away during patrols or missions. 

“Yes.. Yes, you are right. Let’s go.” Though instead of leaving her position behind the rock, Nevia found herself staring at the big gate which led deeper into the underground fortress. Six of them wandered into the Abyss, which was the Hive stronghold.. Only five made it back out. She swallowed. 

“Nevia!” Her ghost ripped her out of her own, dark thoughts and she quickly jumped to her feet, getting a better hold of her rifle and retreated. She climbed through the rocks, always staying low and silent. Who knew what else was lurking in the shadows here. The Fallen had a small camp here, but there were no signs of their presence around here. Unlikely, regarding how close they were to the Hellmouth. The Hive or the Fallen? If she would have to choose, the Fallen would be it. Nevia preferred them over the creeps underground any day. 

~~

The Tower, Vanguard Hall, in the meantime.

“What do you mean there is no feed from her?” Cayde crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his artificial eyes at Zavala, who gave him an exhausted sigh and shook his head. 

“We haven’t heard from her or her ghost, since she left for the moon. I don’t think you need to worry. Nevia is a capable huntress and knows her way around.” The Commander turned his attention back to the stack of papers in front of him and signed some of them. 

Of course, Zavala was right, but even he had to see the distress in Nevia’s face, when she hurried away earlier today to head out to a zone, which was the certain death for most others. All tries to contact her had failed, however. It was natural for a hunter to stay out for weeks sometimes, without reporting back to the Tower, but this should be a one-day patrol. But the moon, of all places. He remembered how she was after Crota had fallen. It took weeks for her to get back on track, worse after Oryx. 

Cayde stared down onto the reports, spread out in front of him. None of them were too pressing matters. He had fallen silent and the other two noticed it. Ikora was the one to speak up, giving the Exo a deep frown and a concerned glance. “Are you that worried? I can’t say, that you are wrong in this, but you could have stopped her. 

‘You could have, too. You know about how she feels better than I.’, he thought but doesn’t make his frustration known. Cayde blinked twice and titled his head to the side. His blank expression was replaced by his usual cocky self. “Nah, I’m not worry. I know my hunters. I trained them. They’re the best. Don’t fool yourself.” 

If there was someone, who wasn’t foolish it was Ikora Rey. 

Thankfully, his friend didn’t confront him any further about the obvious lie and just nodded, before turning back to her work. Maybe they could lock onto Nevia’s comms by force.. With Vanguard codes? Maybe? She would be super pissed about it, though..

Ah, it was worth a try.. 

Cayde pulled his ghost away from under his hood and woke him up. “Aos, I need a connection to Chia, use Vanguard authorization codes.” His companion hesitated, observing his guardian’s face for a moment, as if he knew it what was going to happen.

“She won’t like that.”, was all the small Ai offered.

“I agree with Cayde in this, though. I am curious to know, what happens on the moon.” Zavala finished sorting his papers and straightened his posture, nodding towards the Exo. Aos gave a soft sigh and fell silent for a short moment..   
Only second later, an angry female voice flooded the Vanguard Hall. 

“Cayde! For fuck’s sake, get off my comm!”

~~

The Moon, same moment. 

“Cayde! For fuck’s sake, get off my comm!”, Nevia nearly yelled out, but got a hold of herself and rather hissed it. “I’m just walking through a damn Hive tunnel!” She had switched her auto rifle to her hand cannon, since the tunnels mostly offered short distances to get a shot. The walls covered in black, highlighted by some green lights.. Organic material grew from the rocks, dripping with weird smelling slime. 

The huntress moved careful around a corner, finding a crossway. “How does it look down there?”, she heard Zavala’s voice directly in her ear. It took her a moment to reply, since she was still examining the situation, but everything seemed to be clear so far. The Hive must had retreated further into the tunnel system. 

“Hey, Zavala. You know, that I established the comm link, because you just wanted to let her wander around without any contact to us?”

Nevia stopped in her tracks and rolled her eyes, totally agreeing with the Titan’s annoyed sigh. “I have full trust in this Hunter’s abilities. You were worried.” 

“I was not worried!”

“Guys!”, she whispered into the mic. “I’m in Hive territory! Could you please stop now? I really wish we still had Eris by our sides..” She moved on, taking the path directly across from her. It only let further down and soon, she heard claws on the ground, scratching sounds not too far ahead. Sounded like unwanted company. “Chia, into my hood, now.” 

Without any arguing her ghost vanished and snuggled into the back of her neck. One foot in front of another, Nevia moved along the tunnel wall, trying not to think about her cloak brushing against the slimy surface… Ew.

She made her way into a chamber, not very big, but large enough to hold a ritual apparently, even if Nevia was unaware, what the purpose was. A Hive Wizard hovered above a crystal, the whole area pulsing with energy. It looked like.. no.. that couldn’t be. The power flowing from the Hive’s hands was similar to the rifts of the Taken. “A Ritual chamber.. nothing special for Hive tunnels.. A wizard, few acolytes and a bunch of thrall’s. They didn’t notice me yet.”, she whispered into the comm and was thankful, that there was no reply. “Moving on.” 

It was like back then.. When they went into the Hellmouth.. Six of them in.. Five out.. The thought stuck.. The image of Yaralia’s twisted body and destroyed ghost invaded her mind. The Warlock had fought to keep the Hive off their backs, summoned all the solar energy, she could to crush them.. She took most of them out, but it wasn’t enough.. A knight knocked her off her feet and crushed her ghost with his own. 

The huntress took a deep breath, trying to shut the images out, when she felt this silent presence again, sneaking up on her in a moment of weakness. Now was not the time.. Now was really not the time for this. To her own luck, she was hiding behind a rock and stayed unnoticed.. Everything sounded so muffled. A faint voice? In the background? No… At the edges of her mind, gently nudging her subconscious. She almost felt a touch of soft lips at the shell of her ear and it mesmerized her. A shuddering breath left Nevia’s lips..

“.... Nev… still…. us?.. ia!!”

She shut out the voice over her comms and tried to listening to the foreign presence. It was speaking? Was it? She couldn’t make out the words.. 

“Nevia… where.. going.. on? Talk… me?”

A long, exhaled breath brushed over her skin, at least she felt like it did? Her mind cleared after this, regaining a hold of herself. She blinked and now only recognized the distressed Exo at the other end of her comm. 

“Nevia! Come on, say something!”

“I’m here, sorry. Was busy..” She checked her hand cannon and leaned against the rock for support. “I will move now.. I…” A stone cracked behind her and the huntress tensed, turning around, fully aware that she would look into the twisted face of any type of Hive. Soon, her two bright eyes stared into three, shining, green ones. The creature was heavily armed.. A knight. Wonderful. Of all things.. Why didn’t she see the knight, when she walked in?...

“Nevia. We are not going to risk this any further. Come back home. We will talk about, what you’ve seen.” Even Ikora’s calm voice couldn’t tame her heart, because it was about to break through her ribcage. The Knight in front of her let out a low growl, he lifted his sword.. and swung it after Nevia. 

She jumped back easily, though that meant leaving her cover and instantly every single Hive in the chamber noticed her presence. A symphony of screams and shrieks rolled over her and she fired her hand cannon. Precision shots, every single one of them, while trying not to be ripped in two by a cursed blade. She couldn’t make out the voices in her comm channel, as she backed off against a wall. Her light running wild in her veins. Arc energy spread over her skin. 

There was no other way, she could make it through this without using her staff. So Nevia reached out and her hand was overtaken by lightning. It formed a staff, crackling with wild power. She charged forward, unleashing the untamed power of the storm over the Hive. Distressed cries of death all around her, as she just danced through the attacking Thralls, forging a path through to the Wizard. The huntress jumped into the air and slammed her staff to the ground, destroying it’s shield and tearing her apart with a painful shriek. Nevia swirled the staff around in her hand and lunged at the Knight without hesitation this time. It didn’t have a single chance against the power of the light. In the end, all that remained were charred corpses and ashes. She was covered in Hive body parts and fluids, catching her breath.. 

“That sounded brutal. I think, I’m hard.”, Cayde said deadpan through the comms, making her roll her eyes. Surely, this fight didn’t go unnoticed and her suspicion proved right, as more screams emerged from the depths. 

“Shit. We need to get out.. Glad we didn’t move that far..” Once a green glow appeared on the other exit of the chamber, her eyes went wide and she turned around to run, leaving this cursed place without a look back. 

“Well, that was fun..” Chia freed herself from under her hood and floated in front of Nevia’s helmet. “But we should go.. I don’t want any more Hive after us and.. I’m worried for you.”

“I agree on the Hive at least.. Let’s go. I need a drink.. No, a lot of drinks.. And strong ones..”, while she was talking, her ghost already transmatted her onto her ship. “Is Siobhan at the tower? Can you check, please?”

They left the moon and Nevia didn’t try to think too much on everything, she had felt down there. Aside from her flashbacks.. Which would haunt her dreams for some time.. This second presence? Always at the back of her head.. She felt drawn to it. Maybe she should ask Ikora… or.. maybe better not. 

“Siobhan confirmed her status. She is at the tower and free for a visit at the bar.”, Chia informed her. 

“Alright.. I want to go into my apartment, take a shower and then get wasted.. Don’t tell Cayde. It’s girl’s evening.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh well, Nevia is in for some drinks, at least. She needs drinks and hugs.
> 
> 3rd chapter is already written and will be up in 2 - 3 days.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nevia spends the evening with her friend Siobhan (belonging to my dear friend Seige <3) , drinks are shared and nearly ends with breaking into Zavala's quarters...

~~~~~  
Come and take me off my daily dose of pain  
Take me off and shelter me  
From this static nothing

Kamelot - My Therapy

~~~~

“You look awful.” These were the first words, that reached Nevia’s ears, when she entered her Fireteam’s shared apartment and looked deadpan at Lorenzo, who stood in front of the stove..cooking something that looked like a bone?.. She wouldn’t ask, it was better that way. “And you smell disgusting.”

“Why, thank you for your charming welcome, Enzo. I just crawled out of a Hive tunnel.” She pulled a slimy piece of the enemies’ armor from her shoulder and dropped it onto the kitchen counter, right next to the Warlock.”I brought you something. When I grilled them with my Arc staff, it didn’t leave much behind. Sorry.” She shrugged and walked by him, directly into the bathroom.

Locking the door behind her, the huntress took her equipment off, piece by piece. Once she pulled the shoulder armor loose, the rare bones gently slid off her arm. Nevia looked at them for a while, a slight frown on her face. For once, it was silent. She had never believed that the bones of the Ahamkara were influencing the mind of the guardian, who wore them. Maybe she had been wrong? The whispers and the feeling of not being alone inside her own mind were concerning, but she wouldn’t leave it behind. She had collected these bones herself and turned them into armor.

Once completely undressed, she climbed into the shower cabin and pulled it shut, turning on warm water. Nevia sighed in delight, when it hit her skin and her whole body came back to life. She put one hand against the cool metal wall, lowering her head and just letting the wonderful heat run over herself, while her mind wandered. The talk with Ikora would have to wait until tomorrow.. The Hive wouldn’t start a big invasion, just because she took one evening off with her friend and get some drinks. A message at least would be required, though..

Nevia really tried to force the thoughts about this strange voice in her head away. Ignorance sometimes was a blessing and she intended to be exactly this for tonight, completely ignorant of her situation.

After a long shower and getting her armor clean again, she wrapped a towel around her body and carried everything to her room, still seeing the destruction from this morning, shaking her head. Nevia made a mental note just to stay at Cayde’s place for the future.. If she wanted to avoid further holes in her wall.

“Nevia, Echo left a message, that he went to the Crucible for the night. Since you asked Siobhan for drinks, should I tell him, that you will go another day?” Chia appeared next to her, circling her, while the huntress was dressing.

“Yeah, sure. Can you send a request to Siobhan and ask her, where she wants to meet up?” She slipped into comfortable clothes. Jeans, hoodie with hunter symbol and some sneakers. She made her way back to the kitchen, where Lorenzo was drying off a perfectly clean bone. “Good work. What kind of bone is that?”

“Fallen, Echo brought it with him from his last patrol. A very nice piece.” He looked to proud and so relaxed and even when it was weird for most of them, the Voidwalker had made his way into Nevia’s heart, once he patched her up, after she had been badly wounded in one of her first patrols.

She smiled at her friend and put a hand on his shoulder. “I will be heading out for drinks. See you tomorrow? I will stay at Cayde’s place tonight.”

“Bring me a sample from him.”

“Enzo, no.”

“Please?”

“No.”

She chuckled quietly and turned around to leave the apartment, Chia silently hovering by her side. Once the door was closed, Nevia poked her ghost gently, in a playful manner, which caused her companion to make some delighted chirping noises. She smiled fondly and started walking down the corridor.

“Siobhan is talking to Shaxx. She will meet you there. Maybe we can see how Echo is doing?”

“You know, you can just stay there, if you wish to watch the matches? I’m sure, Shaxx wouldn’t mind.” The huntress regarded Chia with a curious glance. Usually, she would be down there in the Crucible. Sometimes she thought, that this was her only hobby.. “Well, if we’re going to the Vanguard hall, I can talk to Ikora directly, about what we’ve seen on the Moon.”

“Good idea, shall we?” Chia flew lower and pushed herself into the front pocket of Nevia’s hoodie.

Meeting with Ikora would mean stumbling over Cayde as well and she still felt bad for treating him like she did. She didn’t want to keep things from him, it was just so hard to talk about..

The Vanguard hall was quiet around this time of the day. The three leaders of each class were talking to each other over the table, it seemed like friendly, relaxed banter for once and it brought a smile to her face. She already had passed Siobhan and Shaxx, but she didn’t want to disturb them, as they were talking.

“You’re back.” Ikora, of course, noticed her first and the other two turned to look at her as well. The huntress nodded slightly and approached the Warlock Vanguard. They had a small talk about the tunnel, she had explored on the moon. Nevia informed her about the strange energy, the Wizard used.  
“That is indeed concerning.. I will think about this and let you know, when I decided on how we should proceed.” There was nothing else to say, so she just nodded in agreement. Without another word the Warlock turned back to her papers and Nevia found herself unsure what to do.

She moved around the big table and passed by Cayde, as she made her way over to Shaxx and Siobhan. While walking by, Nevia gave his arm a gentle squeeze and smiled at him. A small gesture of affection, but nothing too noticeable for everyone else around, who didn’t pay closer attention.

Before she had even the chance to announce herself, Shaxx took the job out of her hands and raised a hand in greeting. “Nevia! Here to show our kinderguardians how a veteran fights?”

“Not today, big guy.” She bumped her fist against his chest plate. “When I’m back from my next patrol, though. My knife his thirsty.” Her comment was followed by his booming laughter, which made several people around turn to his direction, as if nobody was used to his loud voice already. Nevia shook her head and then turned to Siobhan. The fellow, awoken huntress gave her a sly smirk and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Good to see you. Ready to grab some drinks?”

She nodded in return and Chia dragged herself out of the pocket of her hoodie, floating over to the screens and following the Crucible match. Shaxx gestured for the two women to leave and so they did.

The small bar, they picked was not in the tower, just rather close to it, a few streets further into the city. Both hunters were not rather fond of too many people around them, so they retreated into a darker corner, from where they had an overview over the whole room. Some other guardians enjoyed their free time here as well. Not that anyone would dare to approach them and those, who tried, earned a dark glare and turned in an instant.

“How was your trip to the moon? Your boyfriend seemed rather distracted, when I brought in some reports earlier.” Siobhan looked at Nevia, one eyebrow raised and her bright, blue eyes curious, yet piercing for answers.

“It’s the moon. How was it supposed to go? Hive everywhere. Took me forever to get my armor clean again and get all this crap from my body. He worries too much.” She took a sip from her drink and observed their surroundings. A few cheers emerged, after a few brutal hits during the Crucible match, which was playing on the two screens in the front of the bar.

“Ugh.. I hate the Hive.. And the Cabal.” Siobhan frowned deeply and emptied her glass. Nevia lifted her hand to show the bartender, that they both wanted a refill. The man though only rolled his eyes and brought the bottle over, before hurrying away from the two women. The Arcstrider reached for it and refilled both of their glasses quickly. The hunters clinked them together and both took a sip.  
“Found something worrying on the moon, though. No idea, maybe it’s nothing, but one of the Wizard’s was casting something, that looked like this weird Taken energy? You know, when they appear out of nowhere?” She shrugged a little and turned back to her friend. “I gave the infos to Ikora. She can do with it whatever she wants..”

“And going back to the moon was such a good idea?” Sio tilted her head to the side, her silvery hair falling a bit into the same direction.

Of all people she knew, who she considered friends and family, Siobhan was one of the few, who actually knew what happened in the Hellmouth and they fought side by side in the Ascendant Realm against Oryx.

“Maybe not.. I don’t know. I just had to get out of here. Can’t stay at the tower for long, you know me.” Before the other huntress could reply, Nevia’s comm device made itself known with a message from Cayde. She sighed and opened it.

_-ACEOFHEARTS-: You running away from me, Nevia? I’m hurt._

Her face was twisted in guilt. Yes, she was indeed running away to not have to face his worry. At least for now.

_-ARCSTRxDER-: No. Maybe? A little?_

_-ACEOFHEARTS-: A little? How about running away to my place later. If you can still run, that is._

Well, apparently he had seen them leave from the spot in front of his precious map. Surprising, that he even looked up from it. “Who is that? Cayde again?” Sio leaned over, curious what they were typing. “Tell him he sucks.” That made Nevia giggle, the alcohol slowly getting a hold of her system.

_-ARCSTRxDER-: Will try. Sio says you suck._

_-ACEOFHEARTS-: She means a lot to me, too. See ya later, sweetie._

_-ARCSTRxDER-: Ima punch you for that._

_-ACEOFHEARTS-: Welcome to try._

__She closed the small screen with a smile on her lips. Sometimes she felt like a lovesick teenager because of this damn man. The smile turned into a laugh, when Nevia just heard the ‘Ugh’ noise from Sio and she nudged the other woman with her elbow. “Hey!”_ _

__“What? You look like a lost puppy. It’s disgusting!”_ _

__“You’re just jealous!”_ _

__“Of what? That you spend your nights with a rusty, old Exo?”_ _

__“Oh you!”_ _

__They both started a little playfight, mindful not to throw anything over on the table. The time with Siobhan had put her mind more at ease, with a little help from all the drinks they got. The evening just flew by and ended with two very drunk hunters, a Titan with a bleeding nose (Poor guy thought he could pick a fight with them.) and a very, very high bill at the bar, which Nevia completely wrote off to Cayde-6’s name.__

__~~_ _

__Siobhan and Nevia stumbled more back to the tower, arms around each other’s shoulders, as they sang one hunter hymne after another. A few calls regarding the remaining two classes were answered with ‘You suck!’_ _

__Their paths separated, when Sio made her way out of the Elevator, as soon as they reached her floor. The two hunters hugged and said their goodbye’s, before it moved upwards once more. The ride up to the Vanguard Quarters took a while, but it gave her some time to sort her thoughts and get a hold of her body, running crazy. It kept her so busy, that she nearly ran into Zavala’s apartment, instead of Cayde’s. Not that she had the code to the Commander’s Quarters, but it would have been funny.. Just to see his face, when she stumbled in.. Nevermind._ _

__How difficult could it be to type in four simple numbers into the small console next to Cayde’s door, she thought, after having troubles reaching it at all.. Why were the numbers so blurry? Surely her sight was still excellent, even drunk, she was a hunter after all, yes? What was this dumb Exo’s number again?... 4..8..?.. No.._ _

__Nevia bowed down in front of the small console, trying to figure out the numbers, which she usually had completely memorized.. With all her focus on that, she didn’t notice the slide of the door, right next to her.. and the shadow falling onto her hands, too busy was her mind with figuring this riddle out. Damn alcohol._ _

__“Found something interesting?”_ _

__Cayde’s voice startled Nevia so much, that she shrieked and jumped back, landing elegantly on her ass. He crouched down in front of her, one elbow on his knee. The other hunter was wearing casual clothes. A hoodie and sweatpants. His hand reached for hers, getting up and pulling his helpless lover with him. “Come on, let’s go inside, before you wake up Zavala.. Believe me, you don’t want that.” Cayde chuckled and dragged Nevia inside, closing the door behind them. “Where’s Chia?”_ _

__“Don’t know.. left her with Shaxx…” The young woman snuggled into the soft fabric of his hoodie, while she had troubles staying up right. “Can we go to bed… I want to cuddle..”_ _

__“You will have some coffee first and something to eat, then we can talk about anything else, Nevia.” Carefully he placed her onto the couch in the living room, where she instantly fell over and lied down. Cayde watched her with a gentle expression in his optics, turning to the kitchen and putting on some coffee for his tired huntress._ _

__A cup of coffee and sandwich later, Nevia sat up on the couch again, leaning back, eyes closed and taking a deep breath. She was feeling a lot better and not like she was already half dead. Drinking this much had that effect on her._ _

__She sighed and rubbed her hand over the stubble on her head. “Thank you.. You’re the best boyfriend ever.” Her head fell onto Cayde’s shoulder and he put an arm around her. “I nearly broke into Zavala’s apartment..”_ _

__That caused the Exo to laugh. “What? Why?”_ _

__“Because I failed to find yours and i was about to rip the console off his door and go to sleep.” She dropped an arm over his middle and closed her eyes again, already dreading the headache, that would overwhelm her in the morning._ _

__“Well, that would have been the first time in decades, that someone else was in his bed, I guess.”_ _

__“Don’t be so mean!” Nevia smacked his chest, but couldn’t help but grin herself. She felt Cayde’s fingertips gently stroking over her head, making her sigh. If there was a place in this galaxy, where she wanted to be, if there was a place she called home? This was it. Right here on his couch, curled up against her lover, held by his arms. There was no spot safer than this._ _

__“Soo… How ‘bout that bed now?”_ _

__Nevia lifted her head and nodded. She felt very sleepy, but was well aware, that he wanted, or needed, to talk about what had happened today. Not sure, if she was ready for it, though he deserved the right to ask. The huntress left his side to climb off the couch and stretched her arms. Before he could slip past her, she caught his hand, earning a questioning gaze. “Will be right with you, just quickly abusing your bathroom.”_ _

__“Well enjoy. Just don’t fall asleep in it.”_ _

__Nevia rolled her eyes and turned to the left, once entering the corridor, walking to said bathroom. She didn’t do much in here, just undressed herself, cleaned up and looked at herself in the mirror. Wow, she looked wasted. Sleep was needed, very much so. Sighing deeply, she ran a hand over her face, a shiver running down her spine, not because she was cold.. Serious talks with Cayde sometimes made her uncomfortable. There was no person, she trusted more than him and he knew so much more, than herself, hiding underneath all the jokes and sassiness._ _

__Another deep breath and Nevia pushed herself away from the sink, turning around and making her way over to the bedroom. Cayde’s bedroom was.. a mess. Sometimes, she thought her own room as messy, but this man was just beating everything. As soon, as she sat foot in there, she nearly stumbled over a pair of boots._ _

__“Cayde! Will you ever clean up here?”_ _

__“Nah, for what reason? Nothing like seeing you stumbling, naked and gracefully, over all my stuff.” He had pulled his hoodie off and dropped it down onto the floor, of course. The exo turned towards the huntress and put his hands on her waist. Nevia could see the smug expression on his face and narrowed her eyes. “Mhm, my favorite sight on the planet..”_ _

__She put her arms around his neck and pushed herself up a bit on her tiptoes. “Only on the planet?”_ _

__“In the Universe?” Cayde wrapped his arms around her and lifted Nevia up, turning and dropping them both on his big bed. She laughed and held onto his shoulders. He dropped down to her side and pushed himself up on his elbow, his artificial eyes examining her face. She reached up and put her hand to the side of his neck, stroking the soft material, between the metal, gently._ _

__“Sounds a lot better.” She shifted a little and pressed her lips to the side of his horn, causing him to chuckle. “You have something on your mind.. Usually, you would be all over, joking around..”_ _

__“I do..” The other hunter paused and settled down a bit further, never taking his gaze away from her. “I was worried today, Nevia. Really worried.. You ran off to the moon.. We could have sent someone else, but you just took the patrol and charged off.. Why?”_ _

__She knew, that these questions were coming, but she didn’t want to answer them. Nevia curled up against him, hiding her face against his chest and letting the warmth of his body calm her down. “I.. I had to go.. I can’t explain why.. I just had to leave the tower as soon, as possible.” Her voice was quiet and unsure, completely unlike her usual self. Cayde put his arms around her in a protective gesture. “Something drew me away..”_ _

__“Something?”, he questioned, a bit suspicious._ _

__“Yes.. I don’t have words for it.. Don’t think, I don’t trust you, Cayde.. Because I do, more than anyone else, I just.. I..” While she was babbling, she had freed herself from the embrace and sat up on the bed. The Exo followed her and put his hand on either side of her face._ _

__“Shh.. Shh, calm down. Everything’s alright. You need to tell me, when something’s wrong. I can’t see into your head..” His thumbs stroked over her cheek and she let out a shuddering breath. “Let’s lay down, alright? And get some sleep.. Maybe Ikora is the better person to speak about these things.. Just know I’m here, okay?”_ _

__“Okay.” She whispered and a weak smile made it’s way onto her lips. And with that, they both settled back onto the bed and Cayde pulled a blanket over their bodies._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, yeah.. talking about such things is never easy. It takes a lot of patience. 
> 
> Chapter 4 is not completely done yet and I will have to slow down a little, since I got ton of art and prompts to finish first. It should be done beginning/middle of next week.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning snuggles, Crucible and issues with herself. All here. 
> 
> Come and talk to me: http://shaken-veil.tumblr.com/

~~~~

 

'Cause if your eye's on the ground

When the night comes around

You only see the stars when they fall like rain

 

Netzwerk (Falls like Rain) - Klangkarussell

 

~~~~

 

If she had to stay in the tower for a few nights, Nevia avoided to sleep alone. Staying with Cayde always offered the most peaceful rest and rarely brought any nightmares with it. The only things, which could keep them away were her Exo’s arms and the open night sky. So she stirred from her, very much needed, rest and stretched her arms, eyes still closed. Surprised, that there was no tight hold around her body, she opened them slowly, blinking against the sunlight, only to make out Cayde still laying next to her, pushed up on his elbow and resting his head against the heel of his hand. 

 

Nevia reached out to run her thumb along the non-metal part of his neck, causing him slightly to shiver and she grinned. “Morning, Hot Stuff.”

 

The other hunter chuckled at that and put his free arm around her again. “Back at you. Sleep well?” She just hummed in reply and shifted closer to him, one leg pushing between his. 

 

“How late is it?”

 

“No Idea.” 

 

“You woke up and didn’t check the clock?” She turned her head a little, so she could look up at him. Cayde just gave her a small shrug and leaned his face against the top of her head, mindful not to hurt her with his horn. Nevia gave a small sigh and considered just going back to sleep. Nothing very important was on the plan today, except for a meeting with Ikora, for which they hadn’t set a time yet. 

 

Instead of relaxing, though, her lover had other plans. 

 

He poked her side with the top of his finger and startled the huntress in his arms. She was terribly ticklish and he was well aware of that. She yelped slightly and stared up at him. His bright, blue optics spoke of pure mischief. “Cayde! No! Let me wake up first! Cayde!!” Though he didn’t wait, threw himself at her and pushed her down to the bed, starting to tickle her sides merciless, making her cry out with laughter. “You stubborn, old Exo, let me go!” Her hands pressed against his shoulders, though she didn’t really have the strength to push him away, not that Nevia was serious about wanting it. Instead, she chose another tactic. 

 

Wrapping her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, she forced him down, so he could just catch himself on his hands, each of them next to her shoulders. The huntress gave him a smirk, leaning up to kiss him between the artificial eyes and the tickling instantly stopped. It offered a moment to take a breath, while Cayde took in her, still completely naked, body underneath him. “Hm, looks like breakfast.” His voice carried a teasing tone, making Nevia laugh quietly. She ran her hands down his back and reaching for the hoodie, he was wearing again. 

 

“Best kind of breakfast, but you’re overdressed for it. Why did you dress yourself again?” She pulled at the fabric, waiting for Cayde to help her remove it, sending it flying across the room, once off. Satisfied with the sight above her, the huntress let go of his neck and ran her hands over the metal on his chest, enjoying the smooth feeling under her fingers. He rested his weight on the right arm and used his other, free one, to trail his fingers along her side, making her shudder in delight. The warmth of his touch was always special, she could feel his light in it and it made her go crazy. 

 

“Got us breakfast.. different breakfast…”

 

A small, pleasant sting on the side of her neck, ripped Nevia out of her thoughts. The Exo had leaned down and nipped at the soft, pale blue skin to get her attention back. She let out a harsh breath, while his hand moved noticeably lower and she called upon her own powers, small pulses of arc energy flowing through her fingertips. It was the same, as if she summoned her Arc Staff, but very controlled, having no intention of actually hurting him, but she knew, he liked the small kicks it caused. 

 

Carefully she touched his neck with her arc charged fingers and the noise, that emerged from his throat was worth everything. It sent a spike of pleasure through her whole body and made her roll her hips against his in a greedy motion. 

 

“Someone’s eager..” And there he was, back at teasing. Cayde was aware, that she was always eager for him, he just liked to stroke his own ego sometimes. Nevia narrowed her eyes at him and tightened the hold around his waist, her hands pressed to his shoulders and with all her strength, she pushed the Exo over and onto his back. She grabbed his wrists and pressed them down. Of course, she wasn’t as strong, as the other hunter, only being able to all this, because he let her. 

 

“You know, how I told you, that you stumbling over my stuff was my favorite sight in the universe?” Cayde looked up at her, as she leaned down, a sly smirk on her lips. 

 

“Go on.” 

 

“I lied.”

 

She giggled and peppered kisses over his jaw. “Did you now?” The huntress stretched out on top of him, shamelessly rubbing her body against his. 

 

“I did.. This here, is my favorite sight in the universe.”, he replied with a chuckle and let himself fall back into the pillows. She gently reached out with her light for Cayde’s own. Her arc energy is met by his wonderfully solar warmth. It sent a tingling feeling through every single one of her nerves and this is when he managed to get the upper hand back, freeing his wrists and grabbing her ass without hesitation. Nevia moaned and was just about to really enjoy herself...

 

.. as a small noise made them both freeze. Cayde’s Ghost Aos appeared next to the bed, his optic switching back and forth between the two hunters. “Sorry, to interrupt you two, but Cayde… You are 45 minutes late for a Vanguard meeting, Zavala is asking for you. It’s 10:45 in the morning.”

 

Nevia’s eyes went wide. “Did you just start this, because you wanted to avoid a meeting?” She glared at the Exo, laying underneath her. It wouldn’t be the first time he did this and she completely understood, that he wanted to get away from his many duties as a Vanguard, but she wouldn’t be his excuse..  “Cayde…”

 

He crossed his arms behind his head and sighed deeply, dramatically. “Not only because of that…” 

 

This would be a terribly frustrating day. Nevia huffed and climbed off her boyfriend and off his bed. She grabbed Cayde’s hoodie and pulled it over, nothing else, and then walked out of his bedroom, or more climbed over all his belongings. 

 

In the kitchen she found the promised breakfast. Fresh bread rolls for her.. Hmmm.. Silently, she grabbed a knife out of the drawer, a plate from the shelf and cheese out of the fridge. Before she started with her food, she put on coffee. Eventually, Cayde stumbled into the room as well. He put his arms around her shoulders and placed his chin on top of her head. 

 

“You mad at me?” 

 

“Yes.”, she replied without hesitation. “Very mad.” Of course, she wasn’t really angry with him, mostly annoyed that she would have to walk around all day horny like a teenager. Beside of what she just said, she put a hand on his arm and continued with her breakfast. 

 

~~

 

After she left Cayde’s apartment a bit later, Nevia made her way back to her own home and changed into her armor. Echo and her intended to jump into the Crucible, since they missed their matches last night together. Usually, she would pick her Iron Banner set for fights against other guardians, but somehow.. she felt like her usual armor was right today. Putting it on had a soothing effect on her nerves and she felt safe with it. 

 

The huntress strapped her auto rifle to her back and bound her Quickfang, her beloved sword, to her belt. She only ever used it in the Crucible. It was her thing.. her favorite thing, actually. 

 

“Ready?” Echo’s deep voice startled her for a moment, as he suddenly appeared next to her, completely in his armor already, his ‘Sweet Business’ on his back and Sunshot holstered on his thigh. Nevia smiled and nodded. “Good. I already notified Shaxx to put us up for the next matches, so we better not be late.” 

 

“I’m good to go. Let’s hunt some rookies.” She grinned at her friend. The two of them were veterans of the Crucible and always good for giving the young ones a lecture. 

 

The Shores of Time, one of Nevia’s favorite locations for matches against other guardians. She liked Venus, always did. It’s wild landscape and jungles had something beautiful and untamed. All eight of them transmatted to the ground and she looked at their enemy team. No one she recognized, but so were their other two teammates. Another Titan and a Warlock, both seemed pretty relaxed tho. The human Titan give Nevia a wink and a smirk, causing her to grin back, as she loaded her weapon.

 

When both teams were on their starting positions, Shaxx announced the beginning of the match. Nevia decided to lay low for the moment. Echo and her always knew what the other one was doing, so she trusted, that he was on the other side of the wall, giving her back up. Hurried steps made her stop and she listened closely. None of her team, they were too collected and calm. From the sound of it, it was another hunter, running directly into her direction. She reached for her knife and waited patiently.. 

 

A harsh movement, a painful cry and the younger hunter was laying on the ground, struck down by Nevia’s swift stab. She grabbed her Auto Rifle again and moved on, faster this time. His comrades probably heard that. A small sting in her temple, made the huntress hesitate, feeling not alone anymore in her head.. Something was encouraging her fury in battle. Nevia had the desire to use her sword and slice everyone into pieces. Her heart was hammering, as small sparks of Arc Energy licked out into the air around her form. 

 

Before she could react any further, a bullet hit her right in she shoulder and then in the chest. She went down with a gasp and everything vanished into a blurr. She wasn’t revived.. Why not?.. Something was wrong. 

 

_ ‘Fight, oh bearer mine.. Let your blade cast fear into their souls.’  _

 

The words were quiet, whispers but in the silence of near death, she could make them out easily. Was this the voice, she had noticed on the Moon? Maybe, she was finally going insane.. 

 

As soon, as her sight cleared a little, she was pulled back to her feet. How? Nevia looked around herself. This was not their respawn area, she was supposed to be struck down? Echo looked down at her and through his helmet she could feel the Exo’s worried gaze. Gunfire quickly interrupted anything, that could have been said and the huntress swirled around.

 

_‘Do it!’_ , the voice encouraged her, sounding like it was right next to her ear, followed by a hoarse, crazy chuckle. 

 

Instead of her blade, she frowned deeply underneath her helmet and called upon her Arc Staff, jumping at the enemy, a whole group of them, as they walked around the corner. Her first victim just basically walked into the lightning, as she charged forward. Faintly, in the background, she recognized the sound of Echo’s gun, but she couldn’t focus on anything else, but strike down their opponents. 

 

The second one got caught by the end of her staff, as she turned around, motions more like a dancer, than an actual fighter. Every step was in her blood and pure instinct and the presence in her head howled in delight. As she attacked the third one of the group, her movements felt like they were not her own anymore. An uncontrolled rage had overtaken her and she just jumped at the enemy Titan and slammed her staff into his chest. 

 

_ ‘What a joy, my hunter.. one more..’ _

 

Her bright blue eyes searched for the last standing enemy and the female Hunter wasn’t far away. She took a step back, once she spotted Nevia and her staff crackling with Arc power. The muscles in her legs tensed and she sprinted forward, using a crack in the wall to pull herself up and jump, smashing her weapon down from above and the other huntress goes down. 

 

And all of a sudden, the presence in her mind was gone and she was left with the adrenaline rush of a team kill, while Shaxx was yelling excited into her ears over the comms. The euphoria vanished into thin air, though, when she wasn’t able to breath properly, pulling her helmet off her head and throwing it away, gasping for air. What was that? What just happened? She rubbed her eyes, but there was no time to take a break. She heard a shot from halfway across the map and was barely able to dodge it. She would have to finish this.. and then go home.. Yes, going home was a good idea.. 

 

The rest of their rounds was blurry. They won and everyone was happy, except for Nevia. She was concerned about, what had happened on the battlefield. She didn’t say a word, as they arrived back at the tower in the early afternoon. To her surprise, Ikora was waiting next to Shaxx at the entrance of the Vanguard Hall. This was not good, especially once she regarded the expression on the Warlock’s face. Echo have her shoulder a gentle squeeze and then left her, to get his Tokens for the last matches. 

 

“What a fight, Nevia! You demolished them!” Shaxx smacked her arm.. For him probably it was just a friendly pat but it actually hurt a little. 

 

“Uhm.. Thanks, Shaxx…” Hesitant, she turned her gaze to Ikora. The other woman nodded towards the corridor, which led up to the plaza. And so they walked slowly side by side. Anxiety was rising in Nevia’s heart, clawing at every single one of her nerves. 

 

“I saw your match. Impressive, one might would say, but then I noticed your reactions after your dance with the Arc Staff. Do you want to tell me what was wrong?” Ikora’s voice was always so soft, gentle, calming even. 

 

“I.. don’t know.” This was only half the truth, she wouldn’t tell Ikora, that she was hearing voices. “I felt like, I couldn’t breath anymore under my helmet.” The Warlock said nothing, just walked on out into the sun. They stopped at the railing on the balcony, from where you could overlook the whole city. An amazing view, for those, who could appreciate it. 

 

“Cayde is worried about you. He might try to hide it, but I knew him long enough to see through his mask.” Her warm gaze met Nevia’s bright one. “And I think, he has the right to. We both know about your problems.. I just wish, you would finally address them and help me to help you. Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of and several other guardians are suffering from it. Nevia..” She reached out to the huntress and placed a hand on her forearm. “We all know, what you have seen and how horrifying it must have felt, but you need to allow yourself to heal.” 

 

Ikora was right, of course, she was always right. Her hands clenched around the railing and she had problems to control her breathing. What could she possibly say to this? Gladly, her silence was enough answer for the other woman. 

 

“I will tell Cayde to put you off duty, until we found a way to help you and you are feeling better. We just want the best for you.” She gave her a final, gentle squeeze of her arm, before the Vanguard left her alone. Nevia, though, felt lost all of a sudden. They wanted to keep her in this tower? This couldn’t be good. She would go insane. It would be like after she faced Crota… 

 

_ ‘Oooh.. Don’t fall into despair, oh hunter mine.. They don’t understand…’ _

 

There was it again.. the words, the presence, the voices.. Though she didn’t pay mind to all of it. Tears were burning in the side of her vision, but she didn’t allow them to fall. “Chia..”

 

Her ghost appeared by her side in an instant, snuggling into her neck. 

 

“Can you contact Amanda and ask to make my ship ready to depart?” She took a deep breath, her voice was shaking. 

 

“Yes, of course, but where are we going?”

 

“Away..” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Nevia. This might not be the right way to deal with your problems.
> 
> Thanks to everyone, who followed this journey so far! I won't be able to update this story until new year, thanks to christmas madness. After new year, we will deal with some more serious business.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everyone!   
> Here is Chapter 5. I didn't edit this one much, I hope it won't show. Last days have been stressful. This was also mostly written during my christmas holiday on mobile. xD
> 
> I hope you guys still enjoy it!
> 
> Come and talk to me on tumblr: http://shaken-veil.tumblr.com/
> 
> Love,
> 
> Jules

In the darkest of night, there’s light to be found  
From a spark will be born a fire  
Shine through the shadow of doubt

JT Music - Fireborn

~

Felwinter Peak, Entrance to the Iron Temple - 2 Days later

~

Even if she preferred the forest, the mountains had something peaceful and calming, yet strong and protective. It made sense, remembering for what the Iron Lords stood, even with most of them gone. Nevia wasn’t aware of others being alive aside from Saladin and, newly named, Siobhan. Rumors were going around that Lady Efrideet also survived the SIVA massacre, though she didn’t know of anything else. This place had been her destination, mostly, because of it’s location so far away from everything and also because of Shiro. 

The Exo hunter was one of the most trusted Vanguard scouts, a close friend and student of Cayde and some kind of anchor in the wild for Nevia. She would seek him out, when she wanted to leave everything behind, but didn’t feel like spending time in the wilderness completely by herself. Their characters matched well, but they also knew when to keep their distance. 

The icy wind caused the huntress to pull her Iron Banner cloak closer around her shoulders. She should have thought this through, before running off, still wearing her armor from before. Nevia approached the Iron Temple with some uncertainty in her heart. She had come unannounced and it was only her best friend, who was an Iron Lord. Lady Siobhan, the title still felt somewhat wrong, but she had earned it, from the things she heard about her friend’s adventures in the plaguelands. 

The area felt empty, no one was in sight, only a few wolves, laying in the snow, apparently dozing, though she knew better. It was only her second visit here and she wouldn’t be surprised if they would come charging and attacking her. 

This whole time, Nevia stood in the courtyard and looked around, feeling slightly lost. Should she just approach the temple doors? Saladin, might not appreciate that..

“Well, if that is not a familiar face.” 

The huntress swirled around and raised both eyebrows, face breaking into a grin, as she realised, that it was indeed Shiro approaching her with open arms. They shared a long lasting hug, which included him lifting her up from her feet, making her giggle. The first time she actually smiled in two days. 

“Shiro! It’s been a while.” Once back on her feet, she put her hands on each of his shoulders, looking up, Why were Exo’s all so tall? Probably she was just little.. Thinking about the height difference to Cayde.. or even Shaxx.. Yes, definitely small. 

“It indeed has been, Nevia. You look tired. Came here for some time off?” The other hunter regarded her with a curious glance. Seemed like her motives were already laid open. 

“Yes, for a while.. I mostly came to think, I hope Saladin won’t tell me to think outside of the temple. It’s very cold.” She shivered and pulled the fur of her cloak further over her face to protect it from the winds of the mountain. Shiro just chuckled and shook his head. 

“You know him. He seems rough on the outside, but actually has a heart of gold.” That seemed to be a common Titan thing. Thinking about Echo, Jareth, Zavala or even Shaxx. They all seemed like such hardasses on the outside, but were actually total teddy bears. 

“We will see. Let’s not tell anyone yet, that I’m here? I don’t know, how long I will be staying.” 

Shiro gestured for her to walk with him to the temple entrance. “Cayde won’t like that.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a grown woman, I can take care of myself.”, she grumbled, mostly to herself, as they made their way up the, snow covered, stairs. 

“Something happened? If you want to talk about it.” 

“They took me off duty, because of my ‘mental condition’.”

“Ouch.”

“Exactly..” Nevia looked down onto the ground, kicking a bit of snow aside, as they walked together. “I don’t know, what reaction they expected.. Not every hunter likes to be locked up into the tower, or stays there..What was Ikora thinking?! That putting me under arrest could keep me from running off into the wilds?”

She hadn’t noticed that her voice grew louder, the more she talked and the other hunter had fallen silent, listening to her ranting with patience. 

“I’m sure, she just wanted the best for you, Nevia. Also, if you keep ranting like this, Saladin might really leave you out here to cool off.” There was a teasing tone in his voice and it stopped her anger immediately, making her smile and shaking her head. This was, why she liked him so much. Just like Cayde and Sio, Shiro always found the right words to calm her down and make her smile. 

“There is a first time for everything, I assume.” The deep, rough voice coming from the temple entrance caused both of them to stop in their joking and look up. Saladin stood there, arms crossed over his massive chest and head slightly tilted to the side in question, obviously asking what she was doing here, without using any words. 

The huntress stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the Iron Lord with wide eyes. Sure, she takes part in the Iron Banner, everytime he appeared at the tower, but Felwinter Peak was something completely different. This was his home and she suddenly felt, like she invaded it. “I.. I left the tower and this was the first place I could think of. I apologize for my unannounced visit, Lord Saladin.” Her cheeks heated up and the blue shade of her face turned slightly purple. She turned into the size of a little pup under his eyes. Shiro bumped her side with his elbow, since she couldn’t really look the Titan in front of them in the eyes. 

“Hm..” Saladin looked back and forth between Shiro and Nevia. He simply stepped aside and gestured for both of them to come in. The Exo raised both of his hands and excused himself from the situation, running back off into the snow. She however, stepped inside the temple and was instantly hit with the warmth of the fires burning, taking the cold from her bones.   
“Thank you, really.” She still pulled the cloak further around her shoulders. “I didn’t know where to go.. I.. Shouldn’t be alone in the wilds.”

“Your reasons are your own, but you are the young Wolf’s friend and we owe her a lot. You are welcome to stay, hunter. I will ask Tyra to make some tea.” Saladin regarded her with a gentle smile, which had her nearly melt into a puddle, and turned away to step into one of the thousands of corridors, at least it felt like it. 

That man had an aura, Nevia couldn’t help but admire. She caught herself staring after him for a moment longer, before regaining her senses. Cayde once said ‘Everyone has a crush on Saladin.’ That might actually was true, for everyone, except for Shaxx maybe. She shook her head slightly and stood in the large hall, eyes wandering over the walls. She should go looking for Tyra, the wise woman could help her with her thoughts, if she was lucky. 

The Cryptarch was an incredibly kind. After they shared some tea, she got Nevia settled in one of the smaller rooms nearby. It would provide a bed to sleep, which was far more, than she was used to in the wilds. Usually her cloak would do, but Tyra would have nothing of it. She couldn’t help but notice, though, the lingering gaze on her gauntlets. The older woman seemed to be fascinated by the Ahamkara-bones and the huntress couldn’t blame her. They were pretty rare. 

“Would you mind telling me, how you got these?” Tyra reached for the discarded bones, laying on a table on the other side of the room. Nevia, while unpacking the few things she had transmatted by Chia from her ship, lifted her eyes and looked over her beloved armor piece. 

“I found them shortly after my resurrection. I think it was my very first patrol on Mars.. I had no idea, what I was doing, was terrified from the Cabal I encountered, but these bones someone.. spoke to me? I was drawn to them and just..kept them. Later, two of my friends, both Warlocks, looked over them. Lorenzo helped me cleaning the bones and bringing them into shape, but Yaralia crafted Gauntlets out of them.”

“I know what happened to your other Warlock friend, I’m sorry for your loss.” The Cryptarch lowered her head in sympathy but Nevia made a dismissive gesture with her hand. 

“She died protecting us. It was an honorable death.”

“But this doesn’t make the pain over the loss of someone close to you any better.”

“No..” The huntress looked down at her hands. “It doesn’t.” 

~

So Nevia stayed at Felwinter peak. Since there were no more messages from the Tower, she figured someone must have contacted the Vanguard about her location, but Cayde always respected her need for time alone. Aside from that, she was in safe hands. She had to admit, that the time away from the tower did her some good, except for some bad dreams, there hadn’t been any whispers or words in her mind. Maybe she was just too distracted and busy? Hunting with Shiro, studying with Tyra, some talks with Saladin about the situation in the system and slowly even the wolves got used to her presence and dared to come near her. 

Especially this one female.. Her fur was completely black and she looked small compared to the others of her pack. Saladin told her, that she wasn’t as young anymore either. She had started following Nevia around the temple and the two of them often just sat around outside and watched the wilds, maybe sometimes even go out into the woods together. 

Just right now, the huntress ran her fingers through the soft black fur of the wolf, as her new friend rested next to her, dozing. 

Even Chia was thrilled to be here. She consumed so much knowledge, which would help them later on. Nevia sighed. It had been a week now, however, and she couldn’t learn more about these bones or her own connection to the Hive… There needed to be a reason, why she constantly felt drawn to the moon, no matter the bad memories of this place. She hoped to find answers in the Books of Sorrow, but Tyra wouldn’t hand them to her, or the files. She said, nobody could read them except for a Cryptarch. Nevia doubted that, probably it was an act of protection. 

Maybe the only way was to actually tell Tyra, what was troubling her. So far, nobody knew about the cryptic words and whispers in her mind every time she put on the Ahamkara bones. 

It had gotten worse. Everytime she left for hunting or scouting, the presence coming with the gauntlets tried to take over her mind, influence her or lure her somewhere dark. It spoke of darkness, quite a lot, but not in a terrifying and shocking sense, more as if it was something good to turn to, something easier and welcoming. 

And sometimes, yeah sometimes even Nevia felt a little tempted, but she remembered her friends and those, she called family, at the Tower. The people, she was doing this for, knowing she was being guided,but if she could defeat the evil on the other side, everyone might be a little safer in the end and it would be worth it. 

As if she had sensed the huntress’ unease, the wolf shifted closer and leaned against her thigh. Nevia smiled softly and started to scratch behind her ear, which caused her new friend to grumble quietly.   
“I can’t stay here for much longer, my friend..” 

The she-wolf lifted her head, ears up and a questioning gaze. The awoken huntress sighed deeply and turned her gaze back to the landscape, spreading out underneath her feet, with a free view over the plaguelands. She didn’t really want to leave this place, but the low humming in the back of her mind grew more insistent. One more night, then she would make her next steps, whatever they might were. She was a hunter, she could figure this out, as she went along..

Staying on her spot on the edges of the courtyard, her wolf friend laying by her side, mental and physical exhaustion must have gotten a hold on Nevia’s body, letting her fall asleep, with her head leaning against a stone pillar. She wasn’t aware of the fact, that she was sleeping when the whispers took the chance to catch her unguarded and invaded her mind more violently than ever. 

‘Oh hunter mine, what a troubled heart you have..’ With the words came a pleasant warmth to her mind, like a comforting embrace. ‘Always at war with yourself. They don’t know. They fear the darkness, but it’s comfort, isn’t it? Don’t you feel protected here? Why not stay?’

The blackness in front of her dream-sight breached and broken by green light, surrounding a silhouette. The closer it got, the more gigantic it grew and her spirit felt drawn to it. Three bright orbs..maybe eyes?.. watched her curiously. 

‘Don’t be so hesitant. Reach out.’ And she followed the suggestion and held out her imaginative hand, as the humming grew louder and louder. But before Nevia’s dreamself could actually touch the vision, the figure in front of her hissed in frustration and anger, a shriek followed, made her back off quickly. The darkness surrounding her was ripped down by pure light, forcing her to return to the waking world. The last words, beckoning in her mind, ‘Slayer of this brother mine’ in a terrible distorted voice. 

“Hunter! Nevia! Come back to yourself!” Saladin’s booming voice seemed to shake her very soul and she stared up at the, so much taller, Iron Lord. His fierce eyes would have scared every bone out of her, if it wasn’t for the guarded hint of worry in them. “You nearly walked over this cliff. Now I understand, why you shouldn’t be alone. You need to leave for the tower. Do you understand me? Nevia!”

But the huntress wasn’t listening. Her gaze was without any focus, as her troubled mind tired to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Slayed whose brother? Who could influence her dreams like this? Or was this caused by the gauntlets to guide her on the wrong path? Or maybe even the right one? Her head was hurting. She blinked a couple of times and then turned her attention to the distressed Titan standing in front of her. 

“Lord Saladin? What? Why is it dark already?” 

“I couldn’t wake you up.” Chia appeared next to her shoulder, answering instead of Saladin. “You were sleepwalking.”   
“I.. I don’t know what happened.” To her dismay, the humming in the back of her mind only made her headache stronger and Nevia leaned her face into the palm of her hand. 

“Get some rest, Guardian. We will speak about this tomorrow.” The Iron Lord’s voice didn’t allow any further discussion and he just walked by her, finishing his ‘Evening Round’, how Shiro called it. The huntress looked after him for a moment, but then realised something else.. 

“Ouch, my nose..”

“You ran face first into Saladin’s armored chest, no wonder your nose hurts. I’m not healing that.” Chia hovered in front of her face, her single eye narrowed. “Do you remember the dream you had?”

“I do.. and it’s not good.. Everyone is in danger, Chia, if I’m right.. I need to clear this out.. This has gotten so much worse..We’re leaving. Now.” The huntress turned and walked towards the steps, which led away from the Iron Temple, not even turning her gaze. “Please transmat my things back to the ship.” 

“Done, but.. Is this wise? Shouldn’t you get some sleep first?.. Nevermind, dumb idea. Let’s at least get some help! Contact Enzo, Echo or Siobhan, even Cayde! Nevia!” Chia’s usually soft, electronic voice had turned distressed, because her guardian basically wouldn’t listen.

“I will not endanger either of them.. If I need backup.. I have you.” She smiled slightly 

“That’s not very reassuring…” But the ghost gave in and brought Nevia to her ship and they left earth’s orbit immediately after that. The messages and calls coming in, apparently Saladin had informed the tower over her disappearance, were left unanswered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I guess it's time that shit hits the fan?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow ok this took a while, but I finished this as fast as I could. This chapter was a bitch to write and I apologize for any grammar mistakes in here, but I just wanted to get this out, so the next one can come, since I had to cut it.

And when everything is upside down  
A tremor in the underground  
The nights are gonna take this town  
Oh and get a little bit stranger

Upside Down - Miracle of Sound

~

“They are worried.” Chia hovered by her side, but had her gaze directed at the moon, coming closer into view, as they left earth behind. 

“I know. I don’t have a choice. They wouldn’t let me go, if I would return to the tower.” Nevia looked down at her hands, a stinging pain piercing her heart. She missed her family, but no matter how much it hurt, she had to protect them, at any cost. Maybe this was a selfish thing to do. She just hoped, that Cayde would forgive her, if she died down there. “I’m not letting Ikora lock me up because she has to be the over-mother.”

“Ikora is just concerned about your health, as we are all, Nevia. This is not a good idea.. When you faced Oryx, Sio was by your side. It’s just us right now. I’m… scared.. “ Her ghost lowered her gaze and didn’t dare to meet the guardian’s. “You are not yourself.. It’s these damn bones.. Ever since it started speaking to you.. Let us turn around and go home, please..”

The huntress didn’t reply, just pushed up the speed of her ship, as she moon’s surface came closer, looking for a place, where she could get out more easily. Chia’s worried words were cut out by the gentle humm in the back of her mind, soothing her nerves and pushing back her fear. She just gave Chia a wave with her hand as a symbol, that she wanted to go to the ground. 

A moment later, Nevia materialised on the dust of the moon, looking around with a frown from under her helmet. This wasn’t the Hellmouth. She hadn’t been aware of any other entrances to the Hive fortress, but what did she know? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a comforting feeling pulled her away into a specific direction. A large cave entrance. It didn’t look natural, but not carved with messy hands like most hive tunnels. This was fine work. Symbols decorated the wall, as she sat foot in there. Chia’s voice was muffled, like her ears were covered with a pillow. A shiver ran down her spine, when the humm at the edges of her consciousness became more insistent and louder. 

She followed it regardless. The further she made her way into the cave, the smaller the tunnel became. The signs on the walls were covered with organic material, nearly comparable to plants, but she was aware, that this was not the case. Her hand reached out regardless, like being guided by a foreign power and once it touched the cool stone, running fingers over the surface, shadows emerged from the tendrils, slowly circling around the bones, strapped to her arm. Nevia, however, walked on, letting her hand slide along the overgrown wall. Chia was trying to get her attention, but her distressed voice was overheard completely. 

Under her helmet, Nevia had her eyes closed, just took the path that the soft voice in her head gave her. She shouldn’t be able to understand the whispers, but she did. Dark promises of an easier life, a powerful one, being able to protect those she cared about, if she would just give in and her heart was so tempted, but that was not for what she was here. Realising, what she was actually doing, the huntress ripped her hand away from the wall and let her eyes wander for a moment. She had left the tunnel and entered a small chamber, three other paths came from here. Her pulse was racing and she searched for Chia, but her ghost was gladly still by her side. Nevia lifted her hood away a little and the ghost instantly slipped into the room between the cloth and her guardian’s neck. She snuggled herself against the huntress’ skin and waited, there was not much else she could do. 

Nevia herself hadn’t said a single word since they entered the tunnels. She was listening to the voices in her head, still guiding her way. She took the middle path, as they told her too and whatever would wait at the end of this tunnel, would most likely be trying to possess or kill her. She had to be ready and reached for her Auto Rifle. A gasp left her lips, as a sudden pain stinged in her temple and a hiss in the back of her head. 

A loud shriek ripped through the tunnels, coming from far ahead of her. The first one was followed by several others. The aggressive clicking noises of Thralls sounding from all corners around her. The connection between the presence in the Ahamkara-bones and the Hive must had been closer, than she actually expected. Now she would have to fight her way through this, still being influenced and it was getting worse, which she thought was a sign of coming closer to her destination. 

The scream of the horde of Thralls around her was so close, that she summoned her grenade to her hand and dropped it to the ground. An explosion of Arc energy lit up the whole corridor, showing how many enemies were surrounding her and the number wasn’t small…

Nevia held tight onto her Auto Rifle and just started firing. Line after line of Hive fell to her Hardlight. Eventually, her ammo ran out and she had to switch to her Hand Cannon. Chia revived her 3 times during this fight, in the end, the huntress stood between the shattered corpses of Thralls and Akolytes. The wizards, however, haven’t shown, except for the shrieks, she heard further up the corridor. She wiped green fluid off her helmet, as she moved on, approaching another big chamber. This one looked different though. 

There was not much time for her to actually examine her environment. The wizards threw their cursed magic at Nevia, as soon, as they spotted her. Three of them, they had been circling something, that looked like a podest? She had a hard time controlling her own body to not running towards it and jumping on it, instead, she opened fire and aimed for the wizards. She only had a few shots on her Hand Cannon left..

She rolled into cover and put it back to the holster on her leg, looking down on her hands, letting the Arc energy pulse through her veins. It was difficult to focus on her own light, when she was pulled towards the darkness. “Ch-Chia… I can’t focus..”

Her ghost gave some distressed noises, but she couldn’t make out the words Chia was saying. It all felt distorted and blurry, like being muffled by a blanket or pillow. It took far too long to summon her Arc staff and it felt unstable. There was not much she could do instead of using this one.Another deep breath and she darted out of cover, dodging the bolts coming after her. 

Nevia launched herself up into the air with the power of her light, the crackling staff in her hand, electricity lashing out so wildly, she could barely contain it. She hovered for a moment through the air, the three wizards staring at her with their terrifying green eyes. Everything around her was charged up, shivers running through her body, as she smashed the staff onto the ground, unleashing a giant Arc explosion, which broke the Hive’s body in a second.

But it also threw Nevia and Chia backwards. The shockwave was too much for them to handle and the huntress and her ghost crashed against the stonewall at their backs. Nevia couldn’t cry out, even if she wanted to, the air was knocked out of her lungs from the impact. She had to heal, quickly. It felt like several of her bones were broken and she could barely move, a wonder, that her spine didn’t tear apart. 

She coughed heavily, as the dust settled, trying to fix her vision. Aggressive whispering invaded her mind, a nameless power dragging her up to her feet, but Nevia didn’t obey. She turned around and looked for Chia. Supporting her body on the wall, she made her way alongside it and found her ghost laying on the ground. The blue light was only faint and her shell was broken at several places. 

“Oh Chia, no..” The huntress fell to her knees, trying to ignore the burning pain behind her eyes, clawing constantly at her brain. Carefully, she cupped her loyal companion in her hands, suppressing a sob. “It’s alright, listen. We’re going to be fine.. I’ll finish this.. then we can go home and you can relax with Aos on the windowsill, you know? The one in Cayde’s apartment, with the view over the city? You love it so much.. Just hold on.”

“C-c-can’t… regenerate… Darkness.. too strong..Sent.. distress signal..” The ghosts’ words were interrupted by static noises and Nevia felt it too. She wasn’t able to summon any Arc energy anymore, aside from some sparkles on her fingertips.. Carefully, she pushed Chia under her hood, the place where she used to hide on missions, maybe it would offer her some comfort, but there was no turning back for Nevia now. On unsteady feet, she made her way to the podest and for a moment, her head felt clear. 

The quiet ‘don’t’ from under her hood was overheard, however, as she reached out and the dark energy around the platform reached strongly to her presence. A shriek startled her and she glared into the direction, only to notice, that her exit was blocked by Thralls and a few knights, but surprising enough, they weren’t attacking her, so she decided to proceed. 

‘Go on, go on, oh bearer mine! Feel the power on the other side, it’s waiting, wanting, longing for you.’ The voice in her mind laughed maniacally and urged Nevia on. She placed both hands on the cool, black stone, her fingers instantly circled by shadows, as she pushed herself up and climbed on the platform. 

‘Reach out, embrace it, the comforting darkness, dear hunter.’ 

Something dark clouded her vision, reducing it to a small tunnel. Nevia could barely keep her eyes open, once she stood up straight. It was sucking the light of her body and her breath shuddered, unable to make a sound. In her own thoughts, she was telling herself over and over again, that this was the only way to keep her friends and the city safe from another disaster. 

“Here goes nothing..”, she mumbled to herself, let her eyelids fall and opened her mind. With a loud shriek it was invaded from all sides and Nevia could only gasp, as the shadows latched onto her ankles and wrists. 

Her consciousness was pulled into a place, darker than the blackest of nights. 

~~~  
The Tower, Vanguard Hall

“What do you mean, you lost track of her?” Cayde, talked to Shiro over the comms, walking over the Plaza to the Vanguard hall in hurried steps. Saladin had sent note, that Nevia had vanished from the Iron Temple hours ago. He was nervous and worried, because what the old Titan wrote was more than concerning. He just wanted her back at the tower and in safety. Who knew where she did run off to, while being upset. 

“Cayde, I can’t tell you more than Saladin already did. Nevia vanished, while it was still dark. Her things and ship are all gone. I understand, that you’re worried, but she is a grown woman.”

The Exo wanted to snap at his scout, but knew very well, that Shiro was right. So he cut the line without saying goodbye and made his way to Ikora and Zavala. They both looked tense. Seeing their colleague so serious probably was causing them some discomfort, but Cayde wasn’t patient enough to keep his mask of sass and sarcasm going right now. “Anything new?”

“None of us heard anything. I tried to contact her, even using the Vanguard codes, the communication must be influenced. If we only could make out their location…” Ikora made a thoughtful gesture. “I know, you’re worried, Cayde, but have faith in her. She handled a lot of things before.” 

He silently regarded her with his artificial eyes narrowed. “Do you know, why she left in the first place?”

“I am.. aware, yes.”

“Good.” He turned to his map, looking down onto it. “Aos, can you try again to contact Chia?” His ghost appeared next to him and seemed busy for a moment. Cayde crossed his arms over his chest, not lifting his gaze. 

“I don’t get anything on Chia’s frequence, I don’t… Oh.. Wait! There is something!” Aos’ shell moved wildly, as he flew around his guardian, facing the Exo. “It’s a distress signal. I will need a bit to pinpoint the location.” A tense silence fell over the hall. Zavala tried to busy himself with the reports in front of him and Ikora had her eyes just directed to the big window front. “Cayde..”

The hunter looked at his ghost in question. 

“She’s on the moon.. somewhere underground and I can’t locate her any further from here.” 

Cayde tapped his fingers nervously, thinking about what to do now. The moon, of all places of course she would run off to the moon. Something had been wrong with her and their talk nearly two weeks ago hadn’t given him any insight. Nevia had always spoken about the things, which burdened her heart, when she was ready. “I’m going.”

“Impossible.” Zavala’s immediate protest only caused the Exo to turn towards the Titan. He would react like this, he had been aware of this. Ikora, though, stayed silent. Was she feeling guilty? One could never tell with Ikora Rey.. 

“Try to stop me, Zavala.” Cayde stepped away from the table and turned his back towards his fellow Vanguards, returning his attention to Aos. “I need you to contact Nevia’s Fireteam.. And Siobhan, is she at the tower? I think, she should be. Amanda has to make ships ready. Leaving in 10.” 

“Cayde, I don’t know if everyone will be there by then.”

“They will be.” 

~~

Tower, Hangar, 10 minutes later. 

Of course, everyone was in time at the hangar, ships were ready and they all didn’t need much coordination. Siobhan put a hand on Cayde’s forearm in a comforting gesture. He appreciated it, but there would be no comfort, until they found Nevia. 

“Do we know anything else, aside from her vague location?” Echo-L13, Nevia’s Titan, leaned on his Crownsplitter and looked at the other Exo with his bright, red optics. 

“No, I will locate her, once we are approaching the moon.” Aos thankfully spoke up and it seemed to be enough for him. Enzo, the Voidwalker, stayed silent, brooding over something, he couldn’t tell. Warlocks.. 

“Cayde.” Amanda walked over to them, cleaning her hands with an already dirty towel, from oil. “Zavala sends supplies. Mostly Ammo, said you guys would need that. Be careful down there. We don’t have another Cayde somewhere in the back.”

“Aw, are you worried about me?”

“Don’t let it go to your head. Just bring Nevia back, nobody else could keep you in check otherwise.” Holliday patted his shoulder and returned to her work. A few more words with Sio and they transmatted to their ships, all of them leaving the tower in a hurry, off to the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 will be up in a few days!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, Nevia.. Got yourself into a lot of trouble, did you now?
> 
> This chapter was hard to write for me, but I thank everyone, who encouraged me and helped me out here ^^
> 
> Come and talk to me on tumblr!
> 
> Enjoy  
> \- Jules

So look to the break of the dawn  
Stronger together now  
We were never gone  
Look to the break of dawn, my friends  
Come on, come on, come on  
Light up the black

Miracle of Sound - Break of Dawn

~~~

Some people said, that the Darkness might be nothing else, than just something to keep the Guardians fighting, selling every enemy as it’s minions to show them off as evil. If they would only know the nature of the Darkness itself. If they could see it, feel it, like Nevia did right now. She wasn’t able to see anything, not even her own hand before her eyes. There was no light remaining in her body, this place had sucked it all out. She felt exhausted, drained and wanted to crash down onto her knees and just lay down to die. Without her light, that would be an easy thing to do. 

‘Oooh… We are here, oh bearer mine.. Listen. Can you hear it? Isn’t it lovely?’

The voice in her head was snickering and yet, she felt a rush of comfort running through her mind, making her sigh. A warm feeling washing over her, calming her terrified heartbeat, as another presence was approaching. It came with a humm, a soft melody caressing the far corners of her consciousness. And just like in her dream, the black was breached by a bright, green light, similar to cracks in a crumbling wall. Nevia narrowed her eyes against it, trying to cover her face but failed. She remembered this, the scene, the setting. It was the same, like in her nightmare, where she had been sleepwalking. 

A silhouette emerged, huge, slender, but moved with a certain elegance, an aura of confidence and power. So much power, it made her very bones shudder. This being was ancient and the closer it came, the clearer it’s outlines turned out. Or hers? Hers. And the three green eyes gave her origin away. Hive.

Nevia knew, who she was facing, but she didn’t dare to believe. Why her? She was just a guardian.. At least, that’s what she thought of herself. 

‘You know, who she is, yes? You know, who honors you with her presence, oh hunter mine. She is returning, oh here she is, look at her in all her might. What a sight for a little thing like you she must be..’

Oh, a sight she was. Nevia found herself staring in terror, but also in awe, influenced by the bone’s presence in her mind. She had faced Oryx, killed him, but the Taken King had been a brutal force. Though, her.. 

“Are you afraid, lightbearer?” Her voice was dark, distorted, yet it carried something gentle and soft, calming. “You should be..” 

Nevia was lifted from her position, hovering in the air right in front of those three, terrifying eyes. The attempts to sooth her nerves failed horribly and panic rose in her chest. She tried to break the bonds, which kept her from moving, call upon her light, but no chance. No light reached this place, there was only darkness. 

“Try to escape, little thing. For I am Savathûn, sister to Oryx, the Taken King and Xivu Arath, the very aspect of war. And you, oh hunter mine, have followed the guidance of your… companion.. without asking many questions, as intended..” Her large form started to circle Nevia. She couldn’t really make out Savathûn’s face in the dark, only her eyes stood out, watching her every move and gesture. The smallest change of expression, noted and saved behind green orbs. The huntress stayed silent, trying to hide her distress. 

“I’ve looked into your heart. Your intentions to save those you call, family? Family..” The Witch Queen let out a thoughtful humm and moved forward. “So protective, so righteous. The ones you love.. So fragile, like yourself. I have seen things in the deep, the darkness, oh sweet huntress. Threats lurking beyond your light’s reach, which are just waiting to attack your kind, your precious city. They are waiting.. As am I.. How much darkness can your Traveler hold back, before it crumbles under your very hands, I wonder?” Savathûn lifted her gaze into the dark, focussing something beyond Nevia’s sight. A low chuckle, shaking her soul, emerged from every corner of her mind. “Lightbearer, your friends are here. They want to rip you from my grasp.” 

“They will.. tear you apart…”, she hissed in reply, though her voice was unsteady from the exhaustion and torture, her mind was going through. Cold fear grabbed at her heart. She was afraid for her friend’s life. As far, as Nevia knew this was as real, as it could be and Savathûn was mightier, than she ever imagined. Did she sign all their death contracts here? 

“For what I know, is that you, oh hunter mine..” She paused in her speech and leaned in closer, her twisted face nearly at arm’s length. “..will lose your precious loved ones faster, than you wish to. So why fight, hm?” Savathûn’s long, thin fingers reached out towards Nevia’s face, the knuckles grazing along the hunter’s cheek. She tried to turn away from the touch, but even her neck refused to move a single muscle. “Weren’t you promise a comforting embrace by the darkness? What does your light have to offer, than constant fighting?”

Her image began to flicker, became blurry. Nevia feared, that she was losing herself, that her soul gave in to the darkness surrounding her. She felt so tired, so exhausted and drained..

“Think about it. We will meet each other again, little huntress. Soon enough.”  
~~

Cayde crouched down over a Thrall and pulled his knife out of it’s skull, lifting his gaze, looking down the corridor. Siobhan stepped up to his side, holding her Pulse Rifle close. Her bright, awoken eyes scanned the environment. “How long do you think, this tunnel goes?” His blue optics focussing the fellow hunter. 

Sio shrugged. “Always hard to tell with the Hive..” 

Worry washed over him. Nevia was down here, somewhere. Aos couldn’t exactly pinpoint Chia’s signal, because it went dark, eventually. It terrified him, but no one of the others would know, maybe Sio, but if so, she didn’t say anything yet. He was afraid, to lose another person, just like Andal or Tevis. Not her, of all people, please not her. 

Why had she been going down here alone? That was insane. 

“Delta, do your scans show anything?” Echo and Enzo followed the two hunters, as they moved further into the darkness. The Titans silver Ghost gave a few chirping noises and a blue pulse examined the area around them.  
“No signs of life, aside from the Hive. When Chia’s signal went silent, I lost the trace of Light, Echo.. I.. What if..”

“Don’t even think that.”, Cayde interrupted the other Exo’s ghost. He was louder, than he intended to be and instantly made a small gesture to apologize. His nerves were on the edge and he just wanted to grab Nevia and go home. “We will find her.”

Echo and Siobhan exchanged an uncertain gaze, while Enzo, walked on, pulling some of the plants from the wall of the cave, frowning. Angelica, his ghost, swirled around her guardian and they spoke hushed and whispered words. “Maybe, we need to not search the light.. but the other side?” 

“I can pick up dark signatures, but I assume they belong to Hive Wizards?” Delta tilted her shell to the side.  
“We follow them. It’s our best guess.” Siobhan nodded towards Enzo and they continued to follow said tunnel, but it except for the group of Thralls at the beginning, the rest of the hideout seemed.. wiped clean? No Hive, nothing? They found some other corpses, several enemies mostly ripped apart. Some of them still held a tiny bit of Arc energy. It was a hint.. 

A hint, that led them to a summoning chamber. The view, they got explained why the tunnels had been so empty. Thralls, Knights, Akolyts even some Wizards were gathering around the middle, around something that looked like a platform, surrounded by magic, similar to the one, Knights used for their shields. Wild clicking noises spread through the crowd. 

“Cayde, I’m picking up a faint signature of light, within that summoning circle..” Aos’ shell moved wildly, as if the little ghost was panicking. The Exo hunter checked his hand cannon and reloaded, he didn’t look up once. If that was Nevia’s or Chia’s light in there, he would be damned, if he would just sit here.

“We need an approach.. We can’t just attack that many Hive blindly.” Echo, crouched down, spying along the edges of the big rock, they were hiding behind. He started to talk with the other two, they made a plan, something that would secure Nevia, if she was in there, but Cayde wouldn’t wait that long. 

“Hell, I can’t? Watch me.” He got up and coming from his heart, his whole body was lit up by solar light, hand cannon in flames. 

“Cayde, wait! No! Damn it!” Siobhan protested, but wasn’t fast enough. The Hunter Vanguard left their cover, ran towards this horde of Hive, gun alight, firing burning shots and taking out three Wizards with it. With them gone, the shield around the podest shattered and it revealed Nevia, who gave no reaction, it looked like she was hovering, but frozen in the air. 

Siobhan didn’t hesitate any further, neither did Lorenzo or Echo. The Titan threw a pulse grenade into a group of Thralls. Ear hurting shrieks came from every corner of the hall. The awoken untress pulled herself up on top of the rock, her light forming a dark purple bow in her hands, as she screamed for the human Warlock. 

Enzo turned and saw Sio shooting her Void-bow right into the middle of the gathering. His mind worked fast, even when most people thought he was crazy and stupid, quite the opposite was the case. Knights and Thrall all screaming in fury, as they were tied to the void itself and were barely able to move. He saw his chance and jumped into the air, purple energy forming in his palm and he unleashed it into a giant Nova Bomb, flying slowly towards the enemy and smashing them all, ripping them into pieces. They all burned in Voidlight. 

As the others were busy, Cayde made his way forward. It had been some time for him, since he was in the field, but that didn’t change any of his abilities. Especially now.. The closer he came to the platform, the more reckless he got. “Cayde! Watch out!” He turned around and saw Echo charging towards him, shoving an Akolyt out of the way,as it was about to grab the other Exo from behind. The titan grabbed him by the shoulder. “You are no use for Nevia, when you’re dead! Hold on, I will make a path for you!” 

Arclight crackled at Echo’s fists and he made a jump forward, his Fist of Havoc causing an explosion and actually burning most of the Hive around them and shortly after, he vanished into the crowd, lighting lashing out and just wrecking everyone. Cayde used the moment and ran for the podest. Whatever kept Nevia in place, as soon as he touched her by the arm it seemed to vanish. It was a horrific image, at least for him.

Nevia’s usually blue skin look like cold ash, pale, grey. Her eyes, wide opened but the bright colour left them, there were small sparkles of green in her iris. A black, fluid like substance ran down her eyes. He had seen it before, on Eris. It looked very similar to that. He rested his hand on her cheek, desperate searching for any sign of life in her, then his artificial eyes caught something else. Chia was hidden under Nevia’s hood. The small ghost looked beaten up, her spikes broken at the ends and her shell was cracked at some point, but her ‘eye’ was still shining, even if it was only dimm. 

The battle around them died down and the other three were covered in blood, Arawn healed several smaller wounds on Siobhan’s body, as the huntress already approached the platform, examining Nevia with a concerned expression. 

“I wish, Eris was here.. She would know, what to do.” Cayde’s voice was interrupted slightly by statics. 

“I’m not Eris, but I knew enough about anatomy and medicine..” Lorenzo kneeled down by their side and looked over his unconscious Fireteam member. “I can’t do much from here, though. We need to return to the tower. I will see, what i can do with Ikora’s help.” 

The Exo nodded and lifted his lover up into his arms, Chia carefully hidden underneath Nevia’s hood. He pressed her still body against his own. She was so cold to touch. It was normal for her to have a lower body temperature, than his own, Awoken were always kind of cool, but this was unnatural. No matter how much solar power he tried to transfer to her body, nothing seemed to warm her up. 

Echo made sure, they all were out of the cavern, before the threw a pulse grenade on the platform, making the black stone crumble under the explosion. “I’m flying with you.” Sio jogged to Cayde’s side, once they were outside and put a hand on his arm. He could feel her burning gaze from underneath her helmet. 

“Siobhan, I can take care of her. Don’t you trust me?” He snapped at her, though he didn’t mean to. He was worried sick, deadly afraid of losing her and he didn’t have the nerves to have a discussion with Sio, right now.  
“Nevia is my best friend, Cayde! This was not a question! Arawn, transmat to Cayde’s ship.” And a moment later, the other hunter vanished into blue light and was gone. Echo and Lorenzo already left for their ships and with a deep sigh, the Exo gave Aos the sign, that he could transport him to his cockpit. 

Siobhan took care of the flight and he needed to remember, to apologize to her, but for now, he was settled in the back, on a crate, holding Nevia close in his arms and maybe, if he would still be able to, he would cry, out of relief or worry, or both. And for once, the chatty, funny Vanguard was very quiet, lost in his own thoughts, as he whispered comforting words to the huntress, not sure if she could hear him at all. 

“She will be alright, Cayde. Enzo and Ikora will do whatever they can. Arawn already informed the tower.. But you might have to explain all that to Zavala…” Sio turned around, looking back from the front seat. He wished he could read her expression right now. 

“I will explain nothing, to no one, until I know what happened to her..” And with that, he was silent again, focussing on more important matters, than his grumpy, fellow Vanguard. 

~~

After their arrival at the tower it has all been a blur. They transmatted out of their ships and Cayde carried Nevia to the infirmary, without saying a word to anyone. Zavala had asked too many questions, Ikora had been too worried and everyone else was just running ahead to make space for him to pass by. The nurses seemed surprised to see a guardian brought into their part of the tower, but Ikora and Lorenzo threw everyone out rather quickly. They needed to tend to Nevia’s health, but also Chia’s. The small ghost had taken a heavy beating.. 

What bothered him the most, that he couldn’t do anything about it.. So he was sitting in front of the infirmary on a bench and went through the paperwork of the day, that he had left behind. Siobhan had been looking for her own Fireteam to explain, about their little trip to the moon, Echo was simply taking his time getting out of his armor and promised, he would be back later. And Cayde? He decided to wait.. Even if it was driving him insane, he did not intend to leave Nevia alone here. The thought, that he could have lost her down there, didn’t leave his mind. They needed to talk about all this.. No one just ran into a Hive tunnel.. He maybe wasn’t of much help with these kind of issues, but he could try to help her. Ikora should know, what to do.. 

Thinking about the devil, the door next to him opened and Lorenzo came out, cleaning his hands from dirt and blood. He didn’t pay much mind to Cayde, not that the Exo expected the Voidwalker to explain, what was wrong with the huntress, but Ikora took over that part. She sat down next to him and took the papers out of his hands. “Cayde.. We did, what we could for her.” 

“How bad is it?”, was all he wanted to know. 

“Physically she didn’t take much damage.. Some injuries from a fight, that we cleaned and bandaged up. Chia won’t be able to heal her anytime soon. She got several broken spots, even underneath her shell. I’m just glad, she is only unconscious. As for the damage on Nevia’s mind…” 

“Ikora, can you just.. say what’s going on? Because, I.” He gestured around wildly towards himself. “.. Don’t have the nerves for Warlock talk right now.” 

“We don’t know, what happened down there. Lorenzo and I found traces of Hive energy in the whole area of her head, mostly around her eyes.. She must have had..contact of some sorts. Eris could explain it better.. I cannot tell you, what effect that will have on her mental stability.. She was already..having issues.”

“I know that…” Cayde looked down onto his hands, being more quiet, than he had ever been before, except for Andal’s death. “What can I do?”

“That remains to be seen over time. For now? Be there for her, she will need you. Not only you, but her Fireteam, her friends.” She gave his hand a gentle, comforting squeeze. “And you can contact me, whenever you need anything.”

“Thank you, Ikora.” He got to his feet and turned to leave, when his fellow Vanguard stopped him once more.  
“Oh, Cayde.. She might will suffer from severe nightmares, her mind has to cope with all this somehow.. Just a warning.”

The Hunter nodded, hesitated for a moment though, before pushing the door open and the nurse inside guided him to the room, where Nevia rested. They frowned upon him, since he was still covered in Hive-remains and dirt, but he couldn’t care less. His artificial eyes found her in this horrible white, sterile room, that Nevia would hate, if she was awake. Maybe he could do something about that.. Later. For now he pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down. 

She looked pale, sickly pale. Ikora and Enzo had cleaned all the dirt off her face, so right now she was just sleeping. Her breathing was flat and suddenly she seemed so fragile.. Not like the usual Nevia, who would break a Titan’s bones, if they would threaten the ones, she loved.. He was glad to be alone for the moment, however.. People didn’t need to see them both like this. 

He pulled off his gloves and reached for her cold hand, trying to arm her own light with his solar energy.

When the door opened again, Cayde was ready to bark orders in Zavala-style for whoever was brave enough to walk in here right now, mostly just to fuck off. But familiar, bright blue eyes entered the room. Siobhan hesitated, as she took in the scene in front of her, though she greeted the Vanguard with a quiet: ‘Hey.’

“I don’t think, you need to whisper.” He turned his gaze towards Nevia again. “She is out cold..” 

Sio stepped to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Is there something I can get any of you? You look, like you need a drink.”

“Ramen, drinks and you know how much Nevia likes chocolate. When she wakes up, she could use some, I guess.”

The whole time, he didn’t turn around and the huntress noted the need to be alone, deciding to let him be. 

“Alright, I will be back in a few. She will be fine. You know Nevia, she is stubborn as hell.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still recovering from her experience on the moon, Nevia has to deal with disbelief and the consequences of her mental issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last regular chapter of the Break of Dawn, only the epilogue left. Nevia's and Cayde's story will be continued in coming short fics and one shots. Also I have several AU's planned out.
> 
> Talk to me on tumblr, I'm also up for writing prompts regarding my Destiny ships :)

We are the last  
Children of the Cataclysm  
Awoken in a silent prison  
Out into the great collapse we ride

Cataclysm - Miracle of Sound

~~~

Nevia wasn’t aware of how long she wandered through the blackness of her own mind. Nightmares constantly haunting her dreams and the scenes from the moon replaying in her head over and over again. Occasionally, the visions stopped. A short period of time, where she felt safe and protected, letting her catch up on well deserved rest, before being bothered again by these three, terrifying eyes. 

From the outside, her friends didn’t see anything of her inner struggle. The huntress just laid there, still, sometimes a bit turning into the warmth of Cayde’s body, when he dared to crawl into her bed for comfort. It was one of these moments, when she started to move, her eyelids fluttering, but quickly closing again against the bright light of the room. A sleepy groan came from Nevia’s throat, her hand lifting and reaching out, finding a familiar body next to her. 

“Easy, there..” A warm hand found it’s way to the back of her head and pulled her closer, very gently. 

“Cayde..?” Nevia hid her face against his shoulder, covering her eyes a little from the lights and slowly opened them. Her vision was blurry and she instantly felt sick. Everything was spinning. “How long was I out… ouch, my head..”

“Three days… I..” He stopped talking and just held her close for a while longer, giving her time to adjust to her surroundings. “Let me get one of the nurses and let them know, you woke up. They will probably be happy to be rid of me.”

Nevia slowly pushed herself up, still feeling weak and sick. The usual blue touch of her skin was one and she had turned completely pale. “Why? Did you cause any trouble again?” She rubbed her eyes and thanked him with a smile, as he handed her a cup with water. 

“They didn’t want me to sleep next to you in the bed.. I decided to ignore them.” He shrugged and threw over his hoodie. The huntress gave a small smile and watched him from heavy lidded eyes. “I should ping Sio and the others. They will want to know, that you’re up and kicking again.”

“Cayde….”

“And Ikora is worried sick. She wants you to go meditating with her and all this weird Warlock stuff, but I say, you just need a good vacation, preferably away from here. But not alone because last time, you went off alone..”

“Cayde!”

He looked up, optics wide. “Yes?”

“Slowly.. please.. Can you just stay for a while?.. Without anyone else?” 

Her words seemed to surprise him, but he simply nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. Nevia reached out and cupped his face into her hands. “I was scared, Cayde.. I just wanted to protect you all.. I need.. to talk to someone about all this..” Her eyes turned glassy, tears threatening to spill out of them again.

“Listen, Nevia. I don’t think, I’ll understand, what you saw and what happened, but I can always, try, okay? I’m no Warlock.. or Eris.. But I’m here. We’re all here. You are not alone, just don’t go on one of your lone wolf trips again?” The Exo leaned forward and their foreheads touched gently. Eventually he moved back to his former spot on the other side of the bed, pulling the blankets over both of them, while Nevia snuggled against his chest. 

Then she started to talk, everything. Every detail about what she had seen, when she faced the shadow of Savathûn, only one thing was left out. What had brought her on this path in the first place. The Ahamkara bones were still just a piece of armor for everyone else. The voices in her head were silent for once, but the gauntlets were also in Cayde’s apartment, she assumed. 

Cayde didn’t judge, just offered his concern and council at certain points. Nevia was incredibly grateful for this, his presence and this man himself. Her fingers grabbed at his hoodie, as if she was afraid he would disappear any second and she was back at this dark place. 

“I’m tired, Cayde..”

“Then close your eyes and sleep some more. I won’t go anywhere. Promise.” 

She sighed and followed his advice. The nurses left them alone for another few hours and didn’t disturb their peace. After that it was check up after check up, Ikora stopped by and tried to convince Nevia to consider her meditation therapy and she promised to do so.. Later, she contacted Shiro and apologized to him for vanishing and asked him to forward her apology to Saladin, as well. 

She asked for Chia, but no one could give her a clear answer about her ghost. Ikora had been hesitant about it. Nevia didn’t like that, she would see to her companion, once she was out of here. 

~~

Cayde’s Apartment, 4 days later. 

Nevia stared into the mirror, her skin still pale and her eyes not as bright, as usual, but the rings under her eyes had vanished and she felt a lot better, than before. Now, that she was finally out of the hospital and back in familiar territory. She could have stayed at her fireteam’s apartment, but the noises.. 

With a deep sigh, the huntress dressed herself in something casual. Jeans, tank top and a light jacket to throw over her shoulders. She felt well enough to check up on Chia, who was recovering in Ikora’s study, how she found out. Nevia left the bathroom, making her way over to the bedroom, grabbing her sneakers. Her eyes fell on her equipment, carefully sorted in a corner of the room. The Ahamkara bones were calling to her, they had been since she and her friend had left the moon, but Nevia was too exhausted, to actually find the courage to put them on again. Even if she was already getting cabin fever here at the tower, she still had a lot to recover from. 

With a deep sigh she ignored the call and slipped into her shoes, leaving Cayde’s apartment, typing in the code which would lock the door. The other guardians at the tower didn’t exactly know what happened to her on the moon, but word travelled fast here. They knew that something was up, and that her ghost was in recovery, so was she. Some of them gave her sympathetic looks, but she ignored them. She didn’t need their sympathy or worry. She just wanted to be left alone and get back out there. 

The archives of the tower were a place, she never entered usually. She wasn’t much into books, at least not those they had here. Stories, she liked to read, but everything scientific? It made her head hurt. Ikora’s study was at the very end of the library. The huntress knocked gently at the door and opened it a moment later. Ikora was inside. The Warlock Vanguard lifted her gaze and smiled softly at Nevia, gesturing for her to come in. 

“Nevia, I’m glad to see you back on your feet. Take a seat?”

She followed her suggestion and sat down on the other side of this giant desk. Everything was covered in papers, books and notes. This is exactly, how she thought Ikora’s place would look. Was her apartment the same? Sometimes, Nevia wondered about the other woman, who seemed to care so much about everyone else, but never herself. 

“I assume you came to ask about your ghost?”

“Yes.. I want to see Chia.. I.. I don’t know what happened to her.. I can’t remember much, only in a blur.” She looked down onto her hands. 

“Her shell itself is destroyed, which is not that much of a trouble, but her core and optics got some damage, too. I’m glad, that you gave her a good shell, which took a lot of the impact. Nevia.. about the moon…”

“I am here, because of Chia, not to discuss my findings on the moon!”, she snapped, but instantly regretted her harsh tone. “I’m sorry..”

“It’s alright. I understand. Zavala is also waiting for a report on what’s been happening. He’s been asking me, but the answers he can only get from you.. And Cayde.. Cayde is still worried, more than ever.” 

“I know.. Seems to be the only thing I can do.. Make him worry about me..” Her hands clenched to a fist as her own self doubts crushed over her like a raging wave. It was true, wasn’t it? What did he even see in her… 

“You shouldn’t think that. He… You mean a lot to him, as he means a lot to you. You two are good for each other. Don’t doubt that.” Ikora reached out and put her hand on top of Nevia’s. “So.. now to Chia. She is still unconscious, but there is nothing we can do. She has to come back herself. Maybe the presence of her guardian will do her some good?” 

“Yes.. Yes, maybe.” She smiled sadly, tears already about to spill out of her eyes again. “I’m sorry.” The huntress quickly apologized, as the first one rolled down her cheek. The Warlock just nodded and got up from her chair, walking across the room, behind some book shelves. She returned with Chia, resting on a pillow. The optic, which served as her eye was dimm, but not completely out. It looked more like she was sleeping and powered down. 

Nevia took the small ball of a ghost from her ‘bed’ and leaned her cheek against Chia, quietly speaking to her, apologizing a thousand times. Nothing of this had been her fault, she didn’t have a choice, she just followed her guardian and tired to be there for her. Her own life mattered little to her, but Chia’s was something else. 

“I will go now.. If that’s alright for you.. I want to take a walk through the tower and see Shaxx to watch some Crucible matches..” Her ghost vanished in the pocket of the loose jacket and she got up from her chair as well, nodding towards Ikora. 

“Very well. Come find me, when Chia wakes up. I have a new shell for her.” 

~~

Same day, late afternoon.

[ACEOFHEARTS:] You ok there? We’re waiting. 

[ARCSTRxDER:] On my way, hold on. First time you’re rushing me somewhere. 

Nevia finished texting back and shoved the last piece of cookie into her mouth. She had gotten herself a fresh bag, before she went to see Shaxx, lounging on his couch, watching matches and eating cookies. Afterwards, she returned to her own apartment, grabbing some fresh clothes and brought them back to Cayde’s place. 

Chia’s presence, even if silent, was extremely for her. Her ghost would be alright eventually. For now, Nevia gave her all the time she needed. 

The huntress gave Shaxx a small wave, as she passed him by. He returned with a short nod, before he returned on lecturing another hunter for poor work. She entered the Vanguard hall to find all three of said Vanguards standing around the big table, discussing something, she couldn’t make out, since they fell silent, once Cayde noticed her presence. 

“Hunter, we’ve been waiting eagerly for your report regarding the moon.” Zavala lifted his gaze from his papers, a slight frown on his forehead. Wasn’t it always there? She couldn’t tell.. 

“I’m sorry, I’m a bit late.. Of course, I’m open to all your questions.” She smiled a bit unsure, taking the place at Cayde’s side to at least have a bit comfort in this. Ikora looked concerned, but didn’t say anything for the moment. And then Nevia reported, the only detail, she left out was the fact, that her Ahamkara bones guided her towards the tunnels. Otherwise.. She told everything from her research in the Iron Temple, her patrols on the moon and of course, she spoke about Savathûn and the warnings, she gave her. About the darkness approaching them, the loss of their light and the threats, the Witch Queen mentioned. 

In the end, her hands were shaking, though she hid one of them inside of her pockets and the other one was held by Cayde’s, under the table. “So, that’s it.. That’s all..”

She noticed Ikora and Zavala exchanging a look and something sank in the pit of her stomach. “Nevia.. We know, that things have been hard on you and not every guardian manages to deal with mental instability easily. We suspended you from duty, but you ran off to the Iron Temple, which we let slide, because locking a hunter away in the tower is not the solution..”

“We think, that your… vision.. of the Witch Queen.. might have been not as clear, as you think.” Zavala seemed clearly uncomfortable talking about this subject, however, it hit Nevia like a punch to the face. 

“What? Do you think, I imagined all of this?!” Nevia let go of Cayde’s hand and ran hers over her face. 

“Nevia, nobody said that you are lying..” Ikora tried to calm her down, already seeing the approach of something, that was unavoidable. The blood of the huntress was already boiling and desperation clawed at the edges of her mind. “.. but we have to consider your mental health.” 

“So you all think, I’m crazy?” She turned to Cayde, a deep hurt written all over her face. “Even you?” 

“You know that’s not true, you’re not crazier than me.” The Exo tried to loosen up the situation a little bit, which, of course, horribly backfired. Nevia didn’t care, that she was talking to the Vanguard. In her mind, they just called her a crazy liar, who imagined all that she had seen. 

“You’re not even going to look into this? It’s a threat to everyone here! The people!”

“Hunter, watch your tone. We have more immediate threats to care about. Please think about that.”

“Don’t tell me to watch my tone, damn jerk!” She now had raised her voice and straight up yelled at Zavala. Her heart was pounding in her chest, racing from adrenaline, sadness, fury and irritation. “I’m done. I’m out.” Tears of rage rolled down her cheek. She cried too fucking much today.. So she turned and left. Cayde called her name, Nevia ignored it. She was too hurt. Of course, he couldn’t rush to her defense, because deep in her heart she understood their doubts, but she was too upset right now to even think about it. She needed her best friend, she needed Siobhan’s advice and maybe a hug.. or two.. 

In the late evening, after drinks with Sio and Jareth, she found herself yet again in Cayde’s apartment. She wanted to stay in her fireteam’s home, but it was too loud, too restless.. and so she waited for her Exo to come home.. Her thoughts wandered, to everything that happened. There were not many options for her. She had to stay still and let the dust settle, mostly apologize to Zavala for calling him a jerk.. The man did so much, he didn’t deserve that, no matter that their relationship was never really friendly. It was good, that at least Siobhan believed her, so did Echo and Enzo.. She wasn’t alone. 

And then the door opened with a quiet hiss. Nevia was curled up on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest and eyes staring at the black TV screen. She hard Cayde’s footsteps in the corridor and noticed, that he stopped for a moment, probably seeing her sneakers. 

“Fancy meeting you here.”, he threw in, while slipping into the living room, dropping his cloak and gloves on the coffee table. “That was one hell of an exit you made there..”

Nevia’s fingers trembled and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Cayde.. I didn’t mean to.. It was just too much.” 

“I know, I know.” He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. It only took a second for her to shift in his embrace and cling to him. “Ikora explained.. I understood, but Zavala, uuuh….”

Nevia flinched at the mention of the Vanguard Commander, but the other hunter just chuckled. 

“Nah, don’t worry. Big Blue has the patience of a saint. He’s not mad, but maybe you should apologize… We do agree on, that you need a break..” He felt her tense in his arms, but only pulled her closer. “We’re not locking you up in here.. You’re allowed to run in Crucible matches, can come and go whenever you want, just.. no Vanguard operations, patrols or running off.” 

She buried her face against his chest and nodded. It seemed fair, for what she had done. So many mistakes, that led so many of her loved ones into danger. She had to be more careful, even if the Vanguard didn’t believe her, she knew now what was coming and she would keep both eyes open. More than ever. For now, she was safe. For how long? That remained to be seen.


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peace settles in, but for how long? The next threat is already on the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The Epilogue. Thanks to my friends Seige and Rhi, especially because they kept me constantly going with their support, plotting ideas and character building.
> 
> The Break of Dawn ends here, it was a ride. So ^^ Enjoy this little last bit and then we will see what is to come.

Here's to the fall  
The fall of us all  
Are we nothing but leaves in the wind?  
Here's to the fall  
Here's to the darkness to come for us all  
Turning day into night

Kamelot - Here’s to the Fall

~~

The tower, 6 weeks after facing Savathûn’s shadow

“Tyra is asking, when you will be here, so she can restock on coffee.” Shiro’s voice reached her ear over the comms, he sounded amused. “I think, she is just tired of us and wants to have another female around.”

“Ah, I don’t know if she has so much luck with me.” Nevia grinned, as she walked along the corridors of the tower, slipping into the elevator, pressing the button for the Vanguard floor, ignoring the thunder and lightning outside. “I will be there in two days. Gotta take care of some things first and gather some more Crucible tokens.”

“You’re an addict. Can’t tell me otherwise.”

“You know it.” 

“Alright, I will take care of your quarters then. Oh, Tyra also repaired your Iron Banner cloak. Saladin was very confused what happened to it.” Nevia frowned a little at Shiro’s words. 

“I’m a hunter, Shiro. It’s what happens. That cloak goes with me everywhere, so there is nothing to wonder about. Alright, I’ll hang up now. Gotta see, that Cayde gets his ass out of bed and grab some lunch. Say hi to Artio from me, when the Iron Grump isn’t watching?” Nevia typed in the code for Hunter Vanguard’s apartment and waited for the door to slid open. 

“Okay, will do. See you in a few days, Nevia.”

She smiled softly and cut the line, looking around and searching for her boyfriend. To her own surprise, he was already sitting in the kitchen, not really dressed but at least he already made coffee. She approached Cayde and put her hands on his shoulder, only to earn a small chuckle from him. 

“You’re up, what a pleasant surprise..” She kissed the back of his head and moved over to the kitchen counter, pouring herself a cup as well. “Was about to wake you up. You would have been late.”

“And I don’t know what’s new with that.”, Chia’s voice came from the corridor, as she hovered into the kitchen, followed by Aos. 

“Hello, you two.”, Cayde greeted them and took a careful sip from his coffee, scrolling through some news on his holopad. “Want to grab some lunch, before I step into the lion’s den?” 

“Sure, thing. Ramen?” She sat down across from him and smiled at the two ghosts approaching. 

“Uh-huh. This is why you’re the only one for me.” He put his readings down and stretched his arms. “Alright, I’ll get dressed. Be right back.” 

Cayde vanished, Nevia smiled softly and drank from her coffee.

~~

The day was quiet, even with the thunder. Lunch with Cayde, afternoon with Echo in the Crucible, coffee with Enzo and Echo and now she was on her way to the Vanguard hall to redeem her tokens and have a chat with Shaxx. The storm outside was still raging, as she approached the Crucible Handler. 

“Hey, big guy.” She fist bumped his chest plate, earning a chuckle from him. “Everything alright? What was wrong with the comms earlier? You were kinda spotty, missed your screams.”

“Probably the storm. Wouldn’t be the first time, this happened to the satellites.” He handed her some emblems for later use. “Scared of the thunder? As an Arcstrider?”, the Titan teased her, trying to provoke her. It was a thing they did, since she started out in the Crucible years ago. 

She rolled her eyes and only shook her head, walking forward into the Vanguard hall. Zavala caught her gaze and gave her a short nod in greeting, Ikora smiled softly and Cayde waved her over. Nevia jogged to his side and hopped onto the table. 

“Nevia, why on my map…” He looked at her and sighed. 

“Shush, you big baby. Listen, I was in the Crucible today and comms have been spotty..? Do you know anything about it?”

“We should be able to see the sat-feeds but there are none, so far. I find this… very concerning. We guessed it was just the storm, but…”, Ikora cut in and looked down onto the holopad in her hands. 

The huntress rubbed her hand over her head. 

“Been like this for a few hours now..” Cayde leaned against the table and Nevia reached out for him with a soft smile, though her eyes followed Zavala, as the Vanguard Commander slowly made his way over to the big window. Concern struck her heart, like it always did, since she returned from the moon. Savathûn had given away so much… But nothing would fall into place just yet, however, maybe faster than she liked.

A lightning strike and it was as if everything slowed down for a second. 

“Battlestations!”, Zavala cried out into the hall, shortly before the first missiles crashed into the window front. Nevia fell off the table and stumbled, as Cayde shoved her out of the way of a piece of rubble. She got pulled back onto her feet by two giant hands, she recognized them. Shaxx. 

“On your feet, hunter! Are you alright, Nevia?” 

She only stared at his helmet and nodded, turning around as the ground shook under another attack. The whole side of the hall started to crumble and shatter. A flash of fire caught her sight and she saw Cayde summoning his golden gun, Aos flying next to him, wildly talking, but the wall broke and fell down.

Nevia’s eyes turned wide, when it crashed onto the ground, from her line of sight, burying Cayde underneath it. She started screaming, as it felt like her heart was ripped right out of her chest.

And then, the stone underneath her feet gave in.


End file.
